Red Watch: A true account of four days in the life of A21 (Paddington) and of the fatal fire in which seven people were killed, one of them a fireman

by Gordon Honeycombe

Book by Honeycombe, Gordon

303 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Ronald Gordon Honeycombe was an author, playwright and stage actor, well known in the United Kingdom as a national television newscaster.

Gordon Honeycombe was born in India, but educated at the Edinburgh Academy and at University College, Oxford, from which he graduated with an MA in English. He undertook National Service with the Royal Artillery, mainly in Hong Kong, where he was also an announcer with Radio Hong Kong. Returning to the UK, he embarked on an acting career which led to television and public prominence as a national newscaster.

As a newscaster, Honeycombe always seemed warm but stern while on-screen. Off camera, he was a flamboyant, fun-loving character with a devilish sense of humour.

He later settled in Perth, Western Australia, where he continued to work in radio, television and theatre, and was regularly engaged in voice-over work for radio and television, and in documentary narrations.

Reviews

[Nick Bailey]

Been meaning to read this for a few years and finally took it off my shelf last week. This is an incredibly detailed and very moving script set around the tour of red watch Paddington the fateful week of a devastating hotel fire. It goes into great detail on all aspects of the brotherhood of the job, and you get a feel for what firemen went through decades ago as apposed to the differences todays fire-fighters face. Very moving, very good read. Stay safe brothers 💪

[Jack]

Genuinely one of the best books I’ve ever read. A moving and incredibly interesting true tale of life and death. I cannot recommend this book enough!