This morning, over 100 firefighters and family members attended the scene of the fatal Worsley Hotel fire for a memorial service for the fire which was deliberately started at the hotel in Clifton Gardens, Maida Vale, on Friday 13 December 1974.
On the evening of the tragedy, two fires were deliberately started at the Worsley Hotel, which would claim the lives of seven people, including one firefighter.
The first firefighters to arrive were from Paddington, Manchester Square and Belsize fire stations.
The initial crews were faced by a large and rapidly spreading fire, with over 30 people trapped in the building and needing to be rescued. Eventually 30 fire engines were requested to attend the scene and help bring the fire under control.
Thomas Philip Carr, a porter, was a resident in the building when the fire broke out. He recalled: “I was in the attic of the building when it began to fill with smoke. We had to smash the window to get onto the roof, as flames were coming through the floor.
“People don’t realise how loud a fire is, and it was incredibly frightening. All of a sudden, the roof collapsed, and out of instinct I jumped off the roof. Luckily for me, I landed in a nearby tree and the firefighters were able to get me down.”
“It was 10 days after my 18th birthday. I’m incredible grateful to those firefighters, without them I wouldn’t be here today with my family.”
Thomas Philip Carr was living in the hotel whilst he worked as a porter in a nearby hotel.
Four firefighters from Paddington were sent into the building to try and identify where the fire had started. As they entered a room on the second floor, the ceiling suddenly collapsed, trapping the crew under debris and a water tank. Three of the firefighters were rescued from the rubble, but the fourth, Fireman Hamish Pettit, sadly lost his life.
Neil Wallington, a Station Officer at Paddington at the time of the fire, and the first officer on scene, said: “It was an incredibly cold and windy night. We could smell the smoke from the fire before we even left the fire station, and smoke was filling the streets.
“When we arrived, we found a rapidly spreading fire in a building that was like a rabbit warren inside. When the roof collapsed on Hamish and the other firefighters, crews immediately began a difficult operation to rescue them.
“All the firefighters showed unimaginable bravery when they responded to the fire on that night, and Hamish made the ultimate sacrifice. I will always remember Hamish, and I’m proud that his memory lives on with the firefighters of today.”
Crews from Paddington and Soho fire station attended the scene of the fire for a memorial service. They were joined by the family of Fireman Pettit, survivors of the fire, retired members of Paddington Red Watch who served with Hamish and representatives of the Fire Brigade’s Union.
A procession of fire engines, including a historic vehicle that had attended the fire on the night, parked on the street outside the former hotel, as firefighters paraded in its forecourt, to the sound of the Fire Brigade’s Union pipers.
During the service, wreaths were laid on behalf of the Brigade and Fire Brigade’s Union, alongside floral tributes from the firefighters that had served alongside Hamish at Paddington.
Also at the service was Hamish’s brother Ian. After his brother died, he was inspired to join the London Fire Brigade himself, serving for over 20 years in the capital.
Reflecting on his brother's life after the service, he said: “Hamish wasn’t one for ceremonies, but I’m glad he’s remembered. He wasn’t in the Brigade long enough for everyone to see his full potential. After his death I was inspired to follow in his footsteps and became a London firefighter myself. I will always miss him.”
Paul Anstey, Station Commander for Paddington Fire Station said: “Every firefighter who has served at Paddington knows about the Worsley Hotel fire and Fireman Hamish Pettit. His loss is an example of the ultimate risk that firefighters can face when we respond to an emergency.
“Today we remember Hamish, and the six people who sadly also lost their lives in this fire. Whilst they are no longer with us, they will live on in the people that remember them.”
The seven people that lost their lives in the fire were: