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 Arthur Tabrett. Arthur was the son of George Tabrett and Margaret Stokes. He had several siblings which included Eliza, Earnest and a brother Samuel Thomas Tabrett. Samuel was killed during the great war in France on June 30 1915.
Arthur's brother Earnest Tabrett Earnest would also become a casualty of the Great War, killed in action on April 17, 1918. Earnest is memorialized on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.
Arthur was Uncle to Violet Tabrett and Leonard Tabrett. Arthur married Anne Lyddon in 1909 in Medway, Kent. Together they had two sons who were three and ninteen when their father died. Their older son, William John Tabrett born in 1910, was his father's constant companion. William married Madge Gunn in 1931 in Medway and would eventually relocate to Malaysia (then known as Malaya) where he would work as a Government Officer and Madge as a fashion buyer. In 1957 the couple would return to Gillingham for a six month visit. They would stay at 46 Adelaide Street, the home his parents were living in when his father perished. Presumably his mother Anne would have still been living in their home at this time. Anne passed away in 1960 and is buried along side of Arthur.
Arthur was playing the part of the "Bridegroom" in the demonstration. Fireman Tabrett lost his life trying to save a comrade. He was 45 when he died.
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 Arthur Tabrett. Arthur was the son of George Tabrett and Margaret Stokes. He had several siblings which included Eliza, Earnest and a brother Samuel Thomas Tabrett. Samuel was killed during the great war in France on June 30 1915.
Arthur's brother Earnest Tabrett Earnest would also become a casualty of the Great War, killed in action on April 17, 1918. Earnest is memorialized on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.
Arthur was Uncle to Violet Tabrett and Leonard Tabrett. Arthur married Anne Lyddon in 1909 in Medway, Kent. Together they had two sons who were three and ninteen when their father died. Their older son, William John Tabrett born in 1910, was his father's constant companion. William married Madge Gunn in 1931 in Medway and would eventually relocate to Malaysia (then known as Malaya) where he would work as a Government Officer and Madge as a fashion buyer. In 1957 the couple would return to Gillingham for a six month visit. They would stay at 46 Adelaide Street, the home his parents were living in when his father perished. Presumably his mother Anne would have still been living in their home at this time. Anne passed away in 1960 and is buried along side of Arthur.
Arthur was playing the part of the "Bridegroom" in the demonstration. Fireman Tabrett lost his life trying to save a comrade. He was 45 when he died.
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 Arthur Tabrett. Arthur was the son of George Tabrett and Margaret Stokes. He had several siblings which included Eliza, Earnest and a brother Samuel Thomas Tabrett. Samuel was killed during the great war in France on June 30 1915.
Arthur's brother Earnest Tabrett Earnest would also become a casualty of the Great War, killed in action on April 17, 1918. Earnest is memorialized on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.
Arthur was Uncle to Violet Tabrett and Leonard Tabrett. Arthur married Anne Lyddon in 1909 in Medway, Kent. Together they had two sons who were three and ninteen when their father died. Their older son, William John Tabrett born in 1910, was his father's constant companion. William married Madge Gunn in 1931 in Medway and would eventually relocate to Malaysia (then known as Malaya) where he would work as a Government Officer and Madge as a fashion buyer. In 1957 the couple would return to Gillingham for a six month visit. They would stay at 46 Adelaide Street, the home his parents were living in when his father perished. Presumably his mother Anne would have still been living in their home at this time. Anne passed away in 1960 and is buried along side of Arthur.
Arthur was playing the part of the "Bridegroom" in the demonstration. Fireman Tabrett lost his life trying to save a comrade. He was 45 when he died.
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 Arthur Tabrett. Arthur was the son of George Tabrett and Margaret Stokes. He had several siblings which included Eliza, Earnest and a brother Samuel Thomas Tabrett. Samuel was killed during the great war in France on June 30 1915.
Arthur's brother Earnest Tabrett Earnest would also become a casualty of the Great War, killed in action on April 17, 1918. Earnest is memorialized on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.
Arthur was Uncle to Violet Tabrett and Leonard Tabrett. Arthur married Anne Lyddon in 1909 in Medway, Kent. Together they had two sons who were three and ninteen when their father died. Their older son, William John Tabrett born in 1910, was his father's constant companion. William married Madge Gunn in 1931 in Medway and would eventually relocate to Malaysia (then known as Malaya) where he would work as a Government Officer and Madge as a fashion buyer. In 1957 the couple would return to Gillingham for a six month visit. They would stay at 46 Adelaide Street, the home his parents were living in when his father perished. Presumably his mother Anne would have still been living in their home at this time. Anne passed away in 1960 and is buried along side of Arthur.
Arthur was playing the part of the "Bridegroom" in the demonstration. Fireman Tabrett lost his life trying to save a comrade. He was 45 when he died.
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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