A proud son is following in his father's footsteps – the Borough Commander for Hillingdon – by starting out as a firefighter at the exact same station.
One of the nine new London Fire Brigade trainee firefighters who passed out from their Firefighter Development Course at the end of February, shared more than just a surname with the senior officer who presented his certificate.
Rhys Claydon, 21, received his certificate and welcoming speech from the officiating officer, his Borough Commander father Richard Claydon during the pass out ceremony at Harrow Training Centre.
The new recruit said: "I've wanted to be a firefighter for as long as I can remember, ever since I was four or five.
“I'm so proud of what my dad has achieved and being posted to Wembley where my dad started means a lot. "
It was a very proud moment for both father and son and Rhys isn't only following his dad into the brigade but has also been posted to the same station, Wembley, that Richard was first posted to nearly 30 years ago.
Richard, who became Hillingdon's Borough Commander in June 2015, said: "I can retire in September after 30 years in the London Fire Brigade and I'm so proud to be able to serve with my son.
“I'm delighted that he's started at Wembley where my career began."
