Hayle honours Rick Rescorla, 25 years after 9/11

Some names stay with a town long after the person has gone. In Hayle, one of them belongs to a man who spent the last part of his life getting other people out of a burning building on the far side of the Atlantic.

The Hayle man behind the memorial

Rick Rescorla was born in Hayle. On 11 September 2001, as the World Trade Center in New York came under attack, he coordinated the evacuation of more than 2,500 people from the towers. Almost all of them made it out. He did not. This year the 25th anniversary of the attacks falls on Friday 11 September 2026, and his hometown is marking it.

Hayle Town Council is holding a parade and memorial service to celebrate Rick’s life, bravery and service, and to remember the thousands of people who lost their lives that day.

The parade and the ceremony

The parade sets off from Penpol School at 1pm and makes its way to the Rick Rescorla memorial on Penpol Terrace, where the memorial service begins at 1.30pm.

Representatives from the Royal Navy, the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Parachute Regiment will be there, alongside community organisations and local dignitaries. Everyone is welcome to join the parade and the service. For anyone who cannot be there in person, the ceremony will be streamed live on the council’s social media.

Getting there on the day

Parking around the route is extremely limited, and road closures will be in place for the whole event. Anyone coming along is asked to walk or use public transport as far as possible.

The parade starts at Penpol School, 2 St George’s Rd, Hayle TR27 4AH, and finishes at Penpol Terrace, Hayle TR27 4BQ. The service begins at 1.30pm, 25 years to the day since the morning it remembers.