Dear Reader,

Yesterday the Editor in the company of dozens of Fire Service Veterans attended a service funeral of one of their esteemed young colleagues FSV-JH.

From time immemorial it has been the tradition, if the family request it, for they have a right to, for the Brigade to provide a Guard of Honour for such a sad, solemn, and dignified occasion if only to provide support to the grieving family.

Yesterday was no exception.

In all the many decades that the Editor has commanded such proceedings it has never been his experience that the Chief Fire Officer, who might attend, has actually taken charge of such an event.

Usually accomplished CFO’s keep staff officers and other senior ranks to do just that but Kenny attended and took command.

One would expect in such extraordinary circumstances that the order of ceremonies would be strictly adhered to and that the proper dignities and sensitivities observed, but it was not to be. Experience is everything…

It is important for international Readers to understand  that with the regrettable ‘B.Liar’ politically inspired reformation of the UK Fire Service some 17 years ago in 1998 and the birth of the new ‘Service’ it abandoned its quasi military disciplines with its associated high standards which stretched back several centuries to Irishman (Cork) Sir Eyre Massey-Shaw.

In future the ancient  terms Brigade, Officers and the honourable Rank of Firefighter was to be abandoned and its place the terms ‘manager’ and ‘employees’ was to be subtituted with the exception of the title Chief Fire ‘Officer’ who is now, to all intents and purposes, just another ‘manager’.

Perhaps in 1998 CFO incumbents had an attack of ego in retaining their own title whilst abandoning others?

Confusingly officer rank insignia and helmet  markings were to be retained but it seems today that every Tom, Dick, and Harry is entitled to wear a white helmet formerly reserved for(and aspired to) for command Officers.

Managers and this new generation of employees were no longer required to salute, march, or indeed self-evidently, parade.

If this new ‘Service’ must insist on parading and providing ‘Guards of Honour’  one would assume that at the very least they would get it right?

For their information and future practice a ‘Guard of Honour’ commences hours before with attention to personal detail, spit and polish are applied to shoes, and knife edge creases are the order of the day; but not yesterday.

If medals are to be worn then it is by all and not just by a standard bearer ‘manager’; but not yesterday.

It is a bemusing thing to watch but how can a ‘Guard of Honour’ parade without the wearing of polished service caps?

It is customary for all Fire Service Veterans present to be invited to join the parade in their own dedicated ranks, or by attachment to the Honour Guard, and it is they who have earned the pride and place of privilege of being the first in the line out to pay their formal respects to their deceased colleague’s family; but not yesterday.

Its seems that Warren’s order to Kenny was that FSVs were to be excluded from this Honour Guard and thus publicly humiliated, and so it was that, uniquely, and embarrassingly for this ‘Service’ they were not invited to take part and not able to show their service respects to their colleague and his family.

It seems all the stranger that Kenny is the current President of the Lancashire Retired Members Association of Fire Service Veterans.

Nevertheless, invited or not,  duty will be fulfilled and thus it was that disabled Fire Service Veteran Paul P Burns GIFire stepped respectfully forward into the line up to join this great shabby shuffle of a ‘Guard of Honour’ to pay his personal respects to the head of this family whom he has known and served with on public duties for 5 decades and more…

How indeed the mighty are fallen… just one more thing…please learn how to ‘fall-out’ properly, it is quite easy…drill, and more drill Gentlemen, is everything…