The funeral of the late, William "Darkie" Knight. Station Officer C24 Whitechapel. Red Watch

The day finally arrived when all our efforts over the last 3 1/2 years were put on display to the public. 

240FLM was being used to transport the late Station Officer William " darkie" Knight (C24 Whitechapel Red Watch. London Fire Brigade.) from the funeral directors on the Bromley Road SE6 to Hither Green Crematorium.
The assembled crew of Paul Wood, Steve Houston, Colin Farrington and Pete Weight had met at Romford Fire Station, The home of 240FLM, and headed off down the A12 via the Blackwall Tunnel to Bromley. The journey down was straightforward, once we had decided that Sat Navs were not always right, and we arrived in plenty of time for local residents and passers by to come and have a look, take pictures, and generally show a great deal of interest.
Equally interested were the staff from the funeral directors, Francis Chappell & Sons, who welcomed us with cups of tea which was a nice gesture much appreciated.
Transfer of the coffin was to take place outside the Funeral Directors and this was a tense moment being our first experience of doing this, however, all went smoothly. A last minute decision was made to have two of the crew riding (as is traditional) on the side plates and this added an additional safety level to ensure all was well on the journey as well as looking exactly correct for the family and assembled congregation waiting at the crematorium.
Much discussion had taken place before the final journey about whether or not we could get the appliance close enough to the actual chapel due the regular problem of insufficient parking on site, therefore,a plan was devised in case this was the situation. However, on arrival, Colin skilfully manoeuvred the ladders down the very narrow road and positioned the appliance exactly where it was meant to be.
The family, friends and ex colleagues were very grateful for our efforts and professionalism and I think we as a small team were also proud of what we had achieved as " First Timers".
Thanks to Paul Wood for getting some sensitive images which of course remain copyright protected to him,no reproduction is permitted without express authority being granted.