Date: 19th May, 2021
A former Trowbridge firefighter who served his local community for over 22 years, and dedicated his life to helping other people, has died of cancer at the age of 45.
Guy Tadman passed away peacefully at his home on 29 April, after a long fight against acute myeloid leukaemia.
Although born in Birmingham, Guy grew up in Semington and went to school at George Ward in Melksham. His first jobs were in architecture, first working on building conversions for the newly disabled and then using the software Auto CAD to help design grain silos and shopping centres.
He originally applied to Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service on a whim, only realising it was a real career option when he reached the interview stage. Having been successful in his application, he joined the Service in September 1998, undertaking his basic training in Eastleigh, Hampshire alongside colleagues who he then worked alongside for the next 20+ years.
Guy spent his whole career at Trowbridge fire station, serving on both watches, and became a substantive Watch Manager in 2014 after a period of temporary promotion. Alongside this, he was an instructor in road traffic collision techniques and enjoyed supporting the incident command training process as an assessor.
In 2013, Guy launched the first Wiltshire fire station Twitter account to show the public everything that firefighters do while on duty, from attending incidents to training. This informal and personal snapshot of life at Trowbridge fire station grew to nearly 5,000 followers before coming to a close when his illness led to Guy retiring in January this year.
Such was Guy’s passion for running the account and engaging with the community, he was awarded with a Chief Fire Officer’s commendation in 2017. He received his Long Service and Good Conduct medal two years later.
Away from the fire service, Guy was a son to Keith and Jane; older brother to Greg; husband to Ange; and father to Dan, 21, and Josh, 19.
He loved cricket, having played to county standard as a schoolboy, and for Semington, Bradford on Avon and Devizes over the years; in addition, watching the game was a hobby for the whole family, and both Dan and Josh played locally before going to university.
Guy was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in November 2019 and spent much of the next eight months in hospital, first in Bath and then in Bristol. A stem cell transplant, using a donation from his youngest son, was initially considered successful in April 2020 and Guy was able to return to work on light duties in December before the cancer sadly returned in January this year.
He was loved and is much missed by former colleagues at Trowbridge fire station and across the wider community of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Due to the current Covid restrictions, a private funeral service will be held; however, anyone wishing to make a donation in Guy’s memory to Wiltshire Air Ambulance can do so via CS Bowyers funeral directors, St Thomas Road, Trowbridge – www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/funeral-notices/29-04-2021-guy-tadman/