The Suffolk Hyde Affair - Doc 4 Suffolk Firefighting at Sea

Y’s Temporary Promotion October – November 1998

Overall, as I understand it the spell of temporary promotion initially went well and without controversy. Operationally it was a fairly quiet period with the usual bread and butter incidents. i.e. plenty of fire alarms down at Birds Eye, car fires, rubbish fires and the odd domestic.

However, other developments that were linked to Y are notable during this period of calm.

Firstly, the baton of station commander for Lowestoft was handed to ADO Graham Saward (now retired) in or around mid September 1998. Previously a SubO at BHQ, Felixstowe and then in fire safety at Ipswich, a person much travelled was ADO Saward. He had also served for a lengthy period in one of the Sussex brigades before returning to his roots in Suffolk. It’s rumoured that when he originally left Suffolk to go to Sussex it was under a bit of a cloud. Anyway, he was back now and keen to get stuck in.

Throughout, this time Y continued to represent SubO X as his accused friend. X was by now the subject of one discipline prosecution (insubordination) and two other investigations.

So the accused friend role extended to:

Y being present at Lowestoft stn when X was notified of investigation by reg 7 letter, served by DO C Hodge (now retired) 10th June 1998.

Y being present at Lowestoft stn when X was interviewed by DO C Hodge 2nd July 1998.

Y being present at Lowestoft stn when X was notified of investigation by reg 7 letter, served by DO C Hodge 7th August 1998.

Y being present at Lowestoft stn when X was interviewed by DO C Hodge 18th August 1998.

All in all quite a busy summer I suppose

In addition, Y also accompanied X to a meeting with Suffolk CEO Mrs Lin Homer (now CEO of Birmingham city council) on or around 1st October 1998 at County Hall in Ipswich. This was for the purpose of assisting X in his report of harassment against DCFO Simon Smith (now CFO North Wales). The harassment principally consisted of DCFO Simon Smith making an unlawful deduction of X’s wages. The latter event conceded by Suffolk County council. The mutual understanding reached at the conclusion of this meeting was that the CEO would sanction a harassment investigation of DCFO Simon Smith and that all other discipline actions against X would be held in abeyance.

On or around the day after Y was required to be present at Lowestoft stn when X was formally presented with 2 further charges under the discipline code by DO R Batchelor (now retired). Seems the abeyance of discipline actions against X was only 24 hours?

Throughout the rest of November Y continued in the role of Temporary LFf without complaint or any problem.