In 1965, Ken Davies was a newly-qualified firefighter stationed at Stratford.

Now, 50 years on, he has been presented with an award for his long service.

By coincidence, his first station, which had only opened a couple of years previously, was on the site of his old school, Stratford Grammar.

He stayed at Stratford fire station until 1968 and in the subsequent years moved around a number of fire stations in east London, including East Ham, before becoming station manager at Ilford.

Now a fire safety officer, Ken has named the Paraguay Star fire as one of his most memorable incidents.

The ship caught fire in September 1969 while it was moored in the Royal Victoria Dock.

Despite spending half a century working for the London Fire Brigade – a third of its existence, with next year marking the 150th anniversary – Ken isn’t talking of retiring yet.