6:23pm Wednesday 15th July 2009
SONS and daughters of New York City firemen who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 played cricket against local cadets in Oxfordshire.
The 13 teenagers played against fire cadets from Headington’s Slade fire station at Marlborough School in Woodstock on Saturday as part of a summer camp visit to Britain.
Later the teenagers, all aged 16 or 17, had the chance to play Aunt Sally and try morris dancing in Eynsham.
At Eynsham Fire Station, they enjoyed some classic British cuisine — a curry.
Organiser Edward Murphy, a fire risk manager in Oxford, said: “It was wonderful for these teenagers to come to Oxfordshire and be our guests.
“The day was very well received by all involved.”
The day was organised after New York City fire chiefs got in contact with their counterparts in Oxfordshire.
Firefighters from the New York City Fire Department rushed to the World Trade Center minutes after the first plane struck the north tower on September 11, 2001.
By the time the towers collapsed, half the city’s units had been deployed to the scene. In total, 343 members of the fire department died that day – most were trapped in the towers when they collapsed.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk