20th anniversary memorial service for Cornishman who died in 9/11 terror attack
Rick Rescorla managed to save his 2,700 staff members before one of the towers collapsed on him
Last updated 11th Sep 2021
Cornwall is joining America and other countries across the world in remembering all those killed in the 9/11 terror attacks.
It is 20 years today since four passenger planes were hijacked with two being flown into the World Trade Centres.
That is where Cornishman Rick Rescorla worked, as head of security for the financial firm Morgan Stanley in the South Tower.
Rick was born in Hayle in 1939. He served as an officer in the Parachute Regiment, before joining the Rhodesian Police and then the London Met police force.
He later moved to the USA, joining the US Airborne serving in Vietnam, and reaching the rank of colonel.
Rick then went on to join the financial service firm Morgan Stanley as Head of Security in the South Tower of the World Trade Centre in New York.
The Cornishman had trained the 2,700 staff of Morgan Stanley in evacuation procedures prior to the devastating terror attack, in case there was ever an emergency.
On September 11th 2001, first hijacked plane struck North Tower at 8.46am, second plane stuck the South Tower where he worked at 9.03am.
Rick managed to evacuate all his staff and lead them to safety without any loss of life.
He returned a number of times helps others.
But tragically at 9.59am the South Tower collapsed on him. Rick's body has never been found.
2,977 people died that day.
20 years on and a service is taking place in his Cornish hometown to remember Rick and all those who lost their lives that day.
A memorial was created in Hayle, near the railway viaduct, for Rick following the devastating attack.
At 2.45pm today (September 11th, 2021) people will gather there to honour the bravery of everyone caught up in the atrocities that day.
The last post will take place at 2.59pm, which is the exact time the South Tower came down in New York when Rick died (9.59am).
The memorial has been organised by Tom French from the Royal Cornwall Parachute Regimental Association, of which Rick was an officer.
Tom told us it's important to remember.
He said: "Knowing that it was vulnerable, he trained his 2,700 staff in evacuation procedure, and of course on that day when it stuck he got them out without loss of life. Going back to help other people the tower collapsed on him, and his body was never found.
"There were thousands of brave men doing things on that day, but he had the foresight to know something was going on.
"It had been a joke in the firm every time an alarm bell went off it was Rick, training them, they moaned and groaned about it but obviously it paid off."
He added: "It's still relevant, right up until last week we were in Afghanistan. The invasion of Afghanistan started from this attack. so it's very relevant to what is happening now and is still happening.
"It just takes brave men and leaders, like Rick, to show the way forward for us to go."