A memoir about a Stockport fire-fighter is being launched on the anniversary of his death to help raise funds for a permanent headstone on his re-discovered grave in Willow Grove cemetery, South Reddish.

The Last Call Out has been written by John F Lamon's granddaughter Linda Lamon, after the former photojournalist was told in an interview with retired firefighter Arthur Smith that her grandfather was on the Roll of Honour Shield at Whitehill Fire Station, after he died after fighting fires on February 7th 1938.

With none of her living relatives knowing about the accolade, Linda set out on a decade long endeavour to unravel the mystery, which concluded with their grandfather 's name being placed on the National Firefighters Memorial in London, unveiled by the Princess Royal

"The family didn't really know how our granddad died.  All we understood was that he was a welder for Stockport Corporation and a part-time fireman for Stockport Fire Station in Mersey Square – and we were told in the 1960s that his grave had been washed away after a big flood, so we believed it," said Linda.

After researching public records, the mum of two daughters, who grew up in Reddish, discovered that the grave was still intact, and the cause of their grandfather's death became clearer.

Using her dad's oral memoirs about his boyhood, her own recollections, and extensive historical research, Linda writes about her family's home and work life in the town centre of Stockport in the 1930s and includes the tragic fire that destroyed Stockport County FC's main stand in 1935.

Linda re-visits the Reddish Vale and South Reddish, adding her own memories of the area from the 1950s through to the 2000s as she acts as narrator to forge together the poignant story.

The paperback version and eBook are now available to order on-line from Amazon. 

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Copies of the book will also be available from the Fireground Museum in Rochdale and the author will be giving talks and book signings in Stockport libraries:

• Thursday 19 April, 2pm - Hazel Grove Library
• Friday 16 May, 2pm - Bramhall Library