Bill Law has been sending pictures and stories from his career in the fire service to Memory Lane for many years.
Most of them have referred to his colleagues, so imagine his surprise when he recently spotted himself - standing high up on a ladder.
The Oxford Mail published two pages of photographs from our files from the 1970s, including the one above of a fire at the Crown Hotel at Faringdon in November 1973.
Read again: A look back at 1973 fire at the Crown Hotel
Mr Law writes: “The fireman at the head of the ladder is me. Looking at the photograph now, I’m surprised I was not told off for not having a leg lock on.
“The fireman at the foot of the ladder is Chris Cornwell.”
Despite his apparent ‘error’, he and his fellow crew members did a good job fighting the fire as they received high praise from their boss.
The chief fire officer of the Berkshire and Reading brigade - Faringdon was then in Berkshire - congratulated the team that tackled the blaze.
In a letter to George Cornwell, officer in charge at Faringdon, Mr K C Bridges wrote: “It was with some concern that I received information about the incident at the Crown Hotel.
“Having some knowledge of these premises, I was aware that you may have a difficult situation to contend with; also, as hotel premises are currently in the limelight, I sent Assistant Chief Officer Hedges to assist the divisional officer.
“I have received a report from Mr Hedges, supported by your divisional officer, and this emphasises the difficulties with which you were confronted and of the complexity of buildings in that area.
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“The senior officers are most complimentary of your assessment of the situation, your promptness in ordering reinforcements, including the turntable ladder, and of the excellent way you and the men from Faringdon handled what might have been a very serious incident.
“I was pleased indeed to receive such a good report and ask you to ensure that all your staff are aware of my appreciation of the way they carried out their duty that morning.
“I would also commend you for your assessment and control of one of those fires which, fortunately, do not occur too frequently.”
Mr Law has a full record of how the brigade responded that day to the hotel fire.
Water tenders attended from Faringdon, Wantage, and Bampton in west Oxfordshire.
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Swindon sent a turntable ladder and a water tender with a long ladder and an emergency salvage tender came from Reading.
He writes: “The fire happened 49 years ago come November. Where has that time gone?”
And if anyone is wondering, Faringdon fire chief George and fireman Chris Cornwell were related - they were father and son.
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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF
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