Dead firefighter's family sought

Alan House found a document about Mr Jupe's death in the service archives

Hampshire fire service is trying to trace the family of a firefighter who died on duty 70 years ago.

W H A Jupe died soon after tackling a severe fire in Southampton's Town Quay in 1936.

But Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) has no further details about him and his name does not appear on the national register of fallen personnel.

They are now trying to rectify this by tracking down his family and including his details on two memorials.

Deputy chief fire officer Alan House was looking through the service archives when he came across a Hampshire Fire Brigade Committee document dated 21 December 1936.

It related to the death of firefighter Jupe shortly after a fire at Town Quay on 15 November 1936.

National memorial

Mr House, a historian and archivist for the Firefighters Memorial Charitable Trust, wants to find out more about what happened to Mr Jupe and add his name to the national memorial near St Paul's Cathedral in London.

He also wants to add it to a memorial that is being installed at HFRS's headquarters in Eastleigh to commemorate the 63 fire service personnel who have died on duty in the county since the 1930s.

Mr House said: "The death of firefighter Jupe is a bit of a mystery to us especially as he does not appear on the national memorial which has the names of all firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

"As a result we want to put things right by finding out more about him and hope to make contact with his family.

"By doing this we would want to invite his family to see his name added to the national memorial."

It is known that firefighter Jupe joined Hampshire Fire Brigade on 24 March 1921 and it is thought he was serving at St Mary's fire station in Southampton at the time of the Town Quay fire.

Mr Jupe was married and it is known that he did have children.