Photo by Tommy Ross and William Tauro
On Tuesday morning at 9:00am to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the fire at arrow paper that claimed the lives of 2 Somerville Firefighters Joseph Reilly and Robert Brickley. Firefighters from the station named in their honor stand at attention for a moment of silence.
Frank Conole, a retired City of Cambridge Dept of Public Works employee that lives not too far from the site for the past six years has been decorating the Somerville Fire Department’s / Arrow Paper Company’s Fire Memorial that’s located at 111 South St. in Somerville.
Francis shows up at every holiday with the a decorative wreath in festive decor to pay tribute to firefighters lost in the line of duty.
The Somerville Fire Department recently presented Conole with a citation thanking him for his kind hearted good deeds!
Photo: Frank Conole with his citation presentation.
Thanks to all firefighters everyday. My brother Bob was so proud to wear the uniform and he understood the heroism and dedication of his brothers from the department. He is gone now, but he still lives in the hearts of all who knew him. He was a gentle giant and he will always be my hero.
I will be there on the 10th to honor him & his sacrifice
I’m sure he’s looking down on all of us with a smile on his face so proud of his family. He was quite the jokester or so I’m told and nothing will ever fill the void in our hearts and our lives that has been present since the day he was taken from us so young so many years ago. I love and miss him all the time especially all the could have beens, but he will forever live in our 💕
Anonymous = his loving niece Kristine Brickley
May my brother’s spirit protect his brothers on the Somerville Fire Department.
It’s not fair, he should be here with us. He had been gone longer than we had him 😓
Firefighters Brickley and Reilly sacrificed their lives for others in the line of duty. Firefighters and Police Officers in Somerville and around the country risk all every day for the citizenry everyday. And let’s not forget about our troops and military veterans. We are fortunate and blessed to have men and women like them.
Seems like only yesterday. My brother Bill and I were talking about that day. Bobby was in my pool and he said,he had never been so relaxed. You never know what each day brings. We have great memories of a wonderful brother, who lost his life in the line of duty. Our hearts are broken,but it is of great comfort that he will always be renembered by his fellow brother firefighters.
I was only 4 1/2 when my uncle died with no memories to hold dear to my heart. Hearing the stories of how I was born during his honeymoon and I was the apple of his eye are of some consolation, but not the same. My older brothers have fond memories of him that I never will. I’ve spent many hours wondering why him, he was only 32 and had his whole ahead of him. I often wonder how much more fun family gatherings would be with him around. I will forever hold him in my heart and I miss him every day. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hi Barbara, I am Cindy Reilly Baltz. Thanks to my cousin Dave Cardella, I just found out that Joseph Reilly was my Grandfather’s brother. After my father died in Vietnam when I was 9wks old, my Mother stopped all contact with my Dads Family. Recently my cousin found me through Ancestry.com and Facebook. With the help of my Dads military records, he was able to track down my Grandfather’s brother. I would love to see pictures of Joseph Reilly if you possibly have any or love some information about his family if you know that as well. I live in TN now and you can find me on Facebook .
Great photograph, Tommy and Billy!