When in 2001 Exmouth charity champion Lionel Howell heard that the cousin of a Lympstone woman was a victim of 9/11, killed in the South Tower after the second plane hit, he was determined to bring a small piece of comfort to the family.
Today (September 11), as the world marked the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks, remembering the 2,996 innocent victims who died after the towers collapsed, Exmouth fell silent at the town's 9/11 memorial, which holds a 10-pound chunk of a girder from the South Tower.
Each year, Stephen Lawn's family make the trip to Exmouth where they place flowers in front of a memorial stone that holds some small stones from Ground Zero and a precious fragment from the South Tower building, where their cousin died.
Lionel said: "I am proud of what we have done for Stephen's family, they come every year."
He added: I am chuffed that people still go down to the memorial service but I wish there were more people that would go. I would have gone myself but I am not up to it.
Stephen Lawn, who died in the South Tower, is remembered by his family, and firefighters, at the Exmouth 9/11 memorial. Photo: EDN.
Charlotte Tuckett, formerly of Lympstone, is pictured laying flowers for her cousin, Stephen Lawn, who died in the South Tower on 9/11. Photo: EDN.
Charlotte Tuckett attended the 25th anniversary of 9/11, paying tribute to her cousin, Stephen Lawn, who died in the South Tower. Photo: EDN.
Before the 2027 service, Lionel hopes the memorial will be cleaned so the metal girder is again visible.
Charlotte Tuckett, Stephen's cousin, who travelled from Dorset with her sister, Tara Corrbett, and their parents, Nigel and Margaret Corrbett, explained how important the Exmouth memorial, and annual service, was to her family.
Firefighters (back) are pictured here with Stephen Lawn's family, L to R: cousins, Tara Corrbett, Charlotte Tuckett, aunt Margaret Corrbett and her husband, Nigel. Photo: EDN.
"It's a really fitting focal point for us to remember Stephen," she said. "As time passes it becomes ever more important to remember, and to continue to remember, and not forget the sheer devastation of that day."
Until their death, Stephen's mum and dad regularly made the trip to Exmouth to pay tribute to their son, quietly remembering him and laying flowers at what is believed to be the only 9/11 memorial in Devon to include part of the Twin Towers.
Cousin Tara, who was in The States at the same time Stephen was in New York, brought back small stones from Ground Zero, which were added to the steel girder when the resin holding the metal fragment was replaced.
Left, Julia Read, from Brixington,
Exmouth Remembers 9/11 With Tribute to Stephen Lawn