SEPTEMBER 11 - ONE YEAR ON: THE deaths of 334 firemen at the World Trade Centre provided a sobering reminder for firefighters everywhere of the risks they face on a daily basis.

For several Swindon firefighters, the tragedy was especially hard to bear.

Just a few months before Septem-ber 11 they had visited Manhattan and stayed with New York fire crews.

Station Officer Pete Townsend recalled watching the horror unfold on TV along with his colleagues at Westlea station.

He said: "We thought, as did other firefighters, that the buildings would stand up to it.

"When the first one started tumbling down we just sat in front of the TV with open mouths.

"We thought if they could put the fire out there was a chance the building would not collapse."

On the Sunday following the disaster the faces of dead men from the firehouse the Swindon firefighters stayed at were published.

In all some 15 were found to have perished.

Officer Townsend said: "It's bad when you know firemen have been killed anyway.

"But when you recognise the faces of people you know and spent time talking to it's particularly hard to take.

"They were typical firemen they were rough diamonds a lot of them.

"They must have been terrified going in there.

"People forget when they are fleeing a fire that the fire brigade are turning on their heels and going in to that building."

Drove Road station officer Alan Harper took part in an earlier visit to stay with Manhattan firefighters from the elite Rescue One squad in 1993.

He said: "A lot of the guys I stayed with were involved and many of them died.

"The anniversary brings it all back to you again. It was horrific really the equivalent to the whole of Wiltshire fire brigade being wiped out."

In the days following September 11 Swindon firemen collected £46,000 for the families of the deceased and the total for Wiltshire would eventually top £100,000.

A delegation of firefighters from Swindon plans to travel to New York in October to take part in a memorial event being held at Madison Square Garden.

Firefighters planned to mark the anniversary today by holding a minute's silence at the time when the first airliner struck the World Trade Centre.