On July 11 1929 the local fire brigade held a fire demonstration during the annual fair. During the afternoon two of the men dressed up as a "bride" and "groom" and went around collecting contributions for the local hospital. In the evening they headed to a 40 foot structure made out of wood and canvas. This house was filled with "guests" of the wedding - local firemen, naval cadets and sea scouts. The plan was to light a fire in the house to make it appear that the house was on fire. The "guests" would cry for help and the Gillingham Fire Brigade would "rescue" them. Somehow this fire became real trapping the people in the structure.
All 15 men and boys that participated in this demonstration died including Fireman Francis Cokayne. His parents were George and Jane Cokayne. Francis was baptized on the 1st of July 1877 in the parish of St. Mary's, Middlesex. He was married in 1900 to Caroline Deborah Gilkes and had thirteen children including Jenny Francis (Jenny died in 2005 at the age of 105) and May. Jenny married Alfred George McCrory. Francis's brother was Leonard Harwood Cokayne (born in 1886) who came out to South Africa in 1922 with the Navy to work as a diver in the the Royal Navy Shipyard in Simon's Town. His other siblings included: Ronald Kenny Cokayne. Francis was 53 when he died.
It has been said that Fireman Cokayne could have saved himself from this fire but he considered it his duty to help those trapped above. He gave up his life willingly to try and save the others.
The men and boys that died are:
Scout Reginald Henry Lewis Barrett
Cadet David Stanley Brunning
Cadet Eric Edward Cheesman
Leslie George Neale
Cadet Leonard Charles Searles
Cadet Ivor Douglas Weston Sinden
William Herbert Jack Spinks
Robert Dennis Usher
Scout Leonard Gordon Winn
Fireman Francis Bull Cokayne
Ronald Royal George Mitchell
Fireman Albert Joseph Nicholls
Petty Officer John Thomas Nutton
Fireman Arthur John Tabrett
Frederick Arthur Worrall
More detailed information about this incident can be found at:
http://firemanswedding.weebly.com/
All 15 men and boys that participated in this demonstration died including Fireman Francis Cokayne. His parents were George and Jane Cokayne. Francis was baptized on the 1st of July 1877 in the parish of St. Mary's, Middlesex. He was married in 1900 to Caroline Deborah Gilkes and had thirteen children including Jenny Francis (Jenny died in 2005 at the age of 105) and May. Jenny married Alfred George McCrory. Francis's brother was Leonard Harwood Cokayne (born in 1886) who came out to South Africa in 1922 with the Navy to work as a diver in the the Royal Navy Shipyard in Simon's Town. His other siblings included: Ronald Kenny Cokayne. Francis was 53 when he died.
It has been said that Fireman Cokayne could have saved himself from this fire but he considered it his duty to help those trapped above. He gave up his life willingly to try and save the others.
The men and boys that died are:
Scout Reginald Henry Lewis Barrett
Cadet David Stanley Brunning
Cadet Eric Edward Cheesman
Leslie George Neale
Cadet Leonard Charles Searles
Cadet Ivor Douglas Weston Sinden
William Herbert Jack Spinks
Robert Dennis Usher
Scout Leonard Gordon Winn
Fireman Francis Bull Cokayne
Ronald Royal George Mitchell
Fireman Albert Joseph Nicholls
Petty Officer John Thomas Nutton
Fireman Arthur John Tabrett
Frederick Arthur Worrall
More detailed information about this incident can be found at:
http://firemanswedding.weebly.com/
On July 11 1929 the local fire brigade held a fire demonstration during the annual fair. During the afternoon two of the men dressed up as a "bride" and "groom" and went around collecting contributions for the local hospital. In the evening they headed to a 40 foot structure made out of wood and canvas. This house was filled with "guests" of the wedding - local firemen, naval cadets and sea scouts. The plan was to light a fire in the house to make it appear that the house was on fire. The "guests" would cry for help and the Gillingham Fire Brigade would "rescue" them. Somehow this fire became real trapping the people in the structure.
All 15 men and boys that participated in this demonstration died including Fireman Francis Cokayne. His parents were George and Jane Cokayne. Francis was baptized on the 1st of July 1877 in the parish of St. Mary's, Middlesex. He was married in 1900 to Caroline Deborah Gilkes and had thirteen children including Jenny Francis (Jenny died in 2005 at the age of 105) and May. Jenny married Alfred George McCrory. Francis's brother was Leonard Harwood Cokayne (born in 1886) who came out to South Africa in 1922 with the Navy to work as a diver in the the Royal Navy Shipyard in Simon's Town. His other siblings included: Ronald Kenny Cokayne. Francis was 53 when he died.
It has been said that Fireman Cokayne could have saved himself from this fire but he considered it his duty to help those trapped above. He gave up his life willingly to try and save the others.
The men and boys that died are:
Scout Reginald Henry Lewis Barrett
Cadet David Stanley Brunning
Cadet Eric Edward Cheesman
Leslie George Neale
Cadet Leonard Charles Searles
Cadet Ivor Douglas Weston Sinden
William Herbert Jack Spinks
Robert Dennis Usher
Scout Leonard Gordon Winn
Fireman Francis Bull Cokayne
Ronald Royal George Mitchell
Fireman Albert Joseph Nicholls
Petty Officer John Thomas Nutton
Fireman Arthur John Tabrett
Frederick Arthur Worrall
More detailed information about this incident can be found at:
http://firemanswedding.weebly.com/
All 15 men and boys that participated in this demonstration died including Fireman Francis Cokayne. His parents were George and Jane Cokayne. Francis was baptized on the 1st of July 1877 in the parish of St. Mary's, Middlesex. He was married in 1900 to Caroline Deborah Gilkes and had thirteen children including Jenny Francis (Jenny died in 2005 at the age of 105) and May. Jenny married Alfred George McCrory. Francis's brother was Leonard Harwood Cokayne (born in 1886) who came out to South Africa in 1922 with the Navy to work as a diver in the the Royal Navy Shipyard in Simon's Town. His other siblings included: Ronald Kenny Cokayne. Francis was 53 when he died.
It has been said that Fireman Cokayne could have saved himself from this fire but he considered it his duty to help those trapped above. He gave up his life willingly to try and save the others.
The men and boys that died are:
Scout Reginald Henry Lewis Barrett
Cadet David Stanley Brunning
Cadet Eric Edward Cheesman
Leslie George Neale
Cadet Leonard Charles Searles
Cadet Ivor Douglas Weston Sinden
William Herbert Jack Spinks
Robert Dennis Usher
Scout Leonard Gordon Winn
Fireman Francis Bull Cokayne
Ronald Royal George Mitchell
Fireman Albert Joseph Nicholls
Petty Officer John Thomas Nutton
Fireman Arthur John Tabrett
Frederick Arthur Worrall
More detailed information about this incident can be found at:
http://firemanswedding.weebly.com/
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