comm_4457_teaser

OKAY, LET’S GET THIS FIRE OUT NOW!

STORY ALAN HEBDEN URING THE AUTUMN OF 1940, LONDON ENDURED ALMOST NIGHTLY D BOMBINGS BY THE LUFTWAFFE DURING AN UNPRECEDENTED STORM OF FIRE, DEATH AND DESTRUCTION THAT WOULD FOR EVER MORE BE KNOWN SIMPLY AS THE “BLITZ”. WHILE MOST SOUGHT SHELTER FROM THE RAIN OF BOMBS, THE MEN OF THE LONDON FIRE BRIGADE AND THEIR VOLUNTEER COLLEAGUES FROM THE AUXILIARY FIRE SERVICE FOUGHT TO CONTAIN THE FIRES IN AN ENVIRONMENT AS DEADLY AS ANY BATTLEFIELD. NOT FOR NOTHING WERE THEY KNOWN AS “HEROES WITH GRIMY FACES”.

ART OLIVERA COVER JANEK MATYSIAK

4 ONE NIGHT AT THE HEIGHT OF THE BLITZ, A GROUP OF FIREMEN WERE TRYING TO SAVE A BLAZING BUILDING, BUT THE MAN DIRECTING THE MAIN HOSEPIPE, TED ROSCOE, WAS EXPERIENCING AN ALL TOO FAMILIAR PROBLEM. THE FLAMIN’ WATER PRESSURE'S DROPPING AGAIN! AT THIS RATE IT'LL BE DOWN TO A USELESS DRIBBLE.

A BOMB MUST HAVE RUPTURED ONE OF THE MAINS. WE'LL HAVE TO SEND FOR A TRAILER PUMP!

TAXIS HAD BEEN PRESSED INTO SERVICE TO TOW TRAILER PUMPS, WHICH WERE FILLED BY WATER DRAWN FROM THE THAMES. TED'S COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND, BRIAN DRAPER, POINTED THEM OUT WHEN THEY ARRIVED FIVE MINUTES LATER.

HERE THEY ARE!

I'M AFRAID THEY'RE TOO LATE, MATE. THE WHOLE PLACE IS ABOUT TO COLLAPSE! EVERYONE BACK OFF RIGHT NOW! HURRY!

5 TED'S EXPERIENCED EYES HAD SPOTTED THE TELL-TALE SIGNS, AND HIS WARNING CAME JUST IN TIME FOR EVERYONE TO GET CLEAR.

GRIEF!

IF WATER PRESSURE HAD BEEN HIGHER THE BUILDING MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAVED, BUT THERE WAS NO POINT CRYING OVER SPILT MILK. INSTEAD THEY HEADED DOWN THE STREET TO WHERE THE NEXT BUILDING WAS ON FIRE, THOUGH NOT AS FIERCELY AS THE PREVIOUS BUILDING. LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT GET THIS ONE BEAT WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE TRAILER PUMPS.

I'LL GET THEM HAULED RIGHT UP TO THE FRONT.

6 AS BRIAN WENT TO GET THE PUMPS TED WAS STARTLED TO SEE MOVEMENT INSIDE THE BURNING BUILDING. THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE!

WHAT?

TED TORE ASIDE THE DAMAGED DOOR AND STEPPED INSIDE. I DEFINITELY SAW SOMEONE. I'M GOING IN!

I'LL COME WITH YOU!

7 THE PAIR DONNED GAS MASKS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE WORST OF THE SMOKE. INSIDE, THEY PICKED THEIR WAY ACROSS THE RUBBLE-STREWN FLOOR, TED CALLING OUT. HELLO THERE! ANYBODY HERE? WE'RE THE FIRE BRIGADE. DO YOU NEED HELP?

THEY MIGHT BE UNCONSCIOUS, MATE. YOU CAN'T LAST LONG IN THIS SMOKE WITHOUT PROTECTION.

THEN THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION NEARBY. THE TWO FIREMEN THREW THEMSELVES DOWN FEARING THE WORST. GRIEF, DELAYED ACTION BOMB!

THAT'S ALL WE NEED!

8 MOMENTS LATER A HUGE SUPPORT BEAM, DISLODGED BY THE LATEST EXPLOSION, CAME CRASHING DOWN. IT WOULD HAVE CRUSHED TED INSTANTLY IF BRIAN HADN'T REACTED LIKE LIGHTNING.

LOOK OUT!

OOOF!

BUT THE FALLING BEAM HAD DISLODGED A MASS OF RUBBLE, TRIGGERING A CHAIN REACTION THAT ENDED WITH BRIAN BEING VIRTUALLY BURIED AND TED PINNED BENEATH A FALLING DISPLAY CABINET.

AAARGH!

BRIAN...

UURF!

9 AS BRIAN LAY OMINOUSLY STILL TED HEAVED WITH ALL HIS MIGHT TO DISLODGE THE DISPLAY CABINET, WHICH HAD FALLEN ON HIM. HAVING LOST HIS GAS MASK HE KNEW HE DIDN'T HAVE LONG BEFORE THE DENSE SMOKE OVERCAME HIM. MUST GET FREE...'COUGH'.WAIT...'

COUGH'...WHAT'S THAT? A TORCH...'COUGH'!

HELP! HELP!

A SHADOWY FIGURE EMERGED FROM THE SMOKE AND SHONE THE TORCH CLOSE TO TED'S FACE.

TO TED'S HORRIFIED DISBELIEF THE PERSON HOLDING THE TORCH SIMPLY TURNED AWAY, TAKING NO NOTICE OF HIS DESPERATE PLEAS FOR HELP.

NO, DON'T LEAVE US...

'COUGH'! COME BACK...

'COUGH'!

AARH, THE LIGHT...'COUGH'!

HELP US...

'COUGH'!

10 AT THAT MOMENT FIRE FLARED UP CLOSE BY AND ILLUMINATED THE OTHER MAN. HIS FACE WAS COVERED BY A GAS MASK AND HE WAS WEARING A POSTMAN'S JACKET.

A...A POSTIE WITH A RESPIRATOR? NO, NOT A POSTIE BUT AN A.F.S. VOLUNTEER.

DURING THE BLITZ THERE WAS A SHORTAGE OF FIREMEN'S UNIFORMS BUT A SURPLUS OF POSTMEN'S UNIFORMS, SO MANY AUXILIARY FIRE SERVICE VOLUNTEERS WORE THOSE INSTEAD. THEN A GLOWING HOT METAL ROD FELL FROM ABOVE AND LANDED ON THE MAN'S ARM, CAUSING HIM TO GIVE A SHRIEK OF PAIN.

YEEIIGH!