Young boy salutes Edinburgh firefighters at funeral of Barry Martin who died after Jenners blaze

A young boy with Down’s Syndrome showed his respect at the funeral of Barry Martin in Edinburgh by saluting to the firefighters.

A photographer captured moving images of the 13-year-old boy, JJ, saluting firefighters who walked past during the funeral cortege on Friday, February 17. JJ and his family were amongst the thousands of people who gathered on the Royal Mile to pay tribute to fallen firefighter Barry Martin, on the day of his funeral.

Reflecting on the event, JJ’s mum, Wendy Rumble, said: “It was such a lovely tribute”. According to Wendy, her 13-year-old has a special appreciation for the armed forces and emergency services, as his older brother is in the army. “He loves anything to do with the firefighters, the ambulance service and the police,” she said. “He is a very honourable little boy,” she added, "He saluted every firefighter that walked past and they saluted back”.

Lynne Cailceta, a family friend who captured the photos, said she was “so proud” of JJ. She said: “He touched so many people”.

“He is a very honourable little boy,” she added. "He saluted every firefighter that walked past and they saluted back”. Photos by Lynne Cailceta

Hundreds of firefighters, police officers and other emergency service workers lined the Royal Mile on Friday to pay their respects to Barry Martin, a Dad-of-two who died after battling a fire in the Jenners building last month. Crowds of locals who gathered watched in silence, as funeral cars with floral tributes reading 'Daddy' passed, followed by a fire engine carrying Mr Martin's coffin. A funeral service was held at St Giles' Cathedral, during which, Mr Martin was praised for giving “the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty”. Afterwards, those gathered outside broke out in applause as the coffin departed.