It was an experience the neighborhood will not soon forget.  Five separate fire companies from the West Chester Fire Department and other units responded to the emergency for which the residents of all the homes in this area expressed gratitude.    The list and links of all the fire companies that responded appears below the images.

It is always amazing that most fire companies are staffed by volunteers.  Companies pay for their equipment and expenses with local funding and fund raising.   Again, we are grateful for their immediate response.  Prior to the fire each firefighter was busy with their own family, friends, event, or maybe watching  the final episode of “Lost”.  Upon receiving the alarm, each suddenly left whatever they were doing to help someone they’d never met before.  It is remarkable.

Thank you!

Responding companies and units:

• First West Chester Fire Company
• Goodwill Fire Company
• Fame Fire Company
• Good Fellowship Ambulance Club
• Goshen Fire Company
• Westtown East Goshen Police Department
• Thornbury Township Fire Marshal
• Chester County Fire Marshal

The drawing of the sinking ship was done for Allan Andrade by Richard Rockwell, nephew of Norman Rockwell.

I asked Allan Andrade to provide some details for my blog …

“On Christmas Eve 1944, the Belgium troopship SS Leopoldville transported over 2,000 American soldiers from the 66th Infantry Division across the English Channel to France. Just 5 1/2 miles from Cherbourg they were torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat. There were 763 soldiers killed and the bodies of 493 were never found. 3 sets of brothers were killed including 2 sets of twins. In April 2008, it was my privilege to be the American historical consultant for a TV documentary being produced about the disaster. I revisited the locations in England & France connected to the tragedy. I was also aboard a research vessel over the wreck as professional divers dove down to film it. With me were a survivor of the sinking and two different relatives of soldiers killed.

The program will now air on the National Geographic Channel on the following dates.

Mon    Feb 09    10pm

Tue    Feb 10    1am

Mon    Feb 16    6pm

For more information about the TV program go to the National Geographic Channel – Sunk on Christmas Eve.

For more information about the Leopoldville disaster visit my web site  SS Leopoldville Troopship Disaster.

To purchase my book, Leopoldville: A Tragedy Too Long Secret, go to the publisher’s web site Xlibris – Self-publishing your book.

Allan Andrade

Leopoldville disaster author/historian”

Allan … it has been a privilege to meet you, to learn about your book and coinicdently … to learn first hand about self-publishing!

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