Tom McGuinness was a farmer and retained firefighter when the terrorist attack happened. A retained firefighter is somebody who is employed in another profession, but is also a fully-trained member of the fire brigade and is able to respond to an emergency. Tom was one of only 11 firefighters who worked in Lockerbie at the time of the bombing, and there were dozens of fires spread across the town.

Tom begins his story with his memories from the night of the disaster.

Tom recalls receiving an alert message from the fire station shortly after he witnessed the Boeing’s engine falling from the sky. He was then sent to the centre of Lockerbie to begin extinguishing fires in what he calls a "disaster zone".

Being a farmer, Tom owned a lot of land around Lockerbie, and the Army ended up utilising the space to aid the recovery of the plane and debris. One of Tom's fields was large and flat, which was ideal for landing the Army's Chinook helicopters. They then brought in cargo nets containing parts of the plane, which had been recovered from the countryside, and Tom recalls the 'clean-up' of the plane happening very quickly- within days. 

Tom estimates that there were around 300-400 firefighters involved on the night of the bombing and the following weeks. 

It’s only recently that Tom has felt able to speak about the tragic event, after decades of keeping silent. He was required to sign an agreement with the FBI, which meant he wasn't allowed to share details about what he witnessed. 

The brave firefighters were tasked with far more than just extinguishing flames and making buildings safe- they were also involved with the recovery of bodies and body parts. 

Tom recalls the local creamery supplying extra water to help fight fires, and how he had to juggle his roles of farmer and firefighter.

Tom, alongside his fellow firefighters, was presented with certificate of thanks from the Firemaster, who acknowledged their "exceptional" work in connection with the Lockerbie Air Disaster.