Dozens turn out for 130th Annual Firefighters Memorial in Boston to honor those ‘who proudly served’

BOSTON — Dozens turned out for the 130th Firefighters Memorial procession on Sunday in Jamaica Plain to honor firefighters “who proudly served,” the Boston Fire Department said.

The Boston Fire Department’s Honor Guard led the procession at the Firefighter’s Monument at Forest Hills Cemetery, the department said in a tweet on Sunday afternoon.

Several firefighters wearing dress uniforms knelt down to place flowers onto the graves of firefighters who previously served with the Boston Fire Department.

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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty were among elected officials who were in attendance.

According to the Boston Fire Historical Society, the Firefighter’s Monument at Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain was dedicated in 1909 to the memory of Boston Fire Department firefighters who have passed away. It is located within the Firemen’s Lot at the cemetery, which was established in 1857 with enough space to provide for 249 graves. The monument is 26 feet tall.

The first burials at the location were for two firefighters who died in the line Of duty on May 2, 1858 at 133-139 Federal St., Downtown, according to the Boston Fire Historical Society. Attached to the base on the four sides are bronze tablets depicting: a steam fire engine; a hook and ladder truck; a protective wagon; and a handtub pumper.

An inscription at the bottom of the monument base reads: ‘In Memory of Departed Comrades. This Monument Is Erected By The Members And Friends Of The Boston Fire Department. June 1909.”

Each year on the second Sunday in June, the Charitable Association of the Boston Fire Department hosts a memorial service to honor firefighters who are buried there and to pay tribute to all firefighters who have given their lives in the fire service, according to the Boston Fire Historical Society.

The Firemen’s Lot holds the remains of 137 members of the department, including 15 members who died in the line of duty. The most recent burial was in 2014, for Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy, Ladder Company 15, who died on March 29, 2014.

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