Cornish 9/11 hero who died saving others honoured

Rick Rescorla is commemorated at Hayle

The courage of Cornish-born Rick Rescorla - who helped more than 2,500 people escape from the World Trade Center on 9/11 before returning to help others - has been celebrated in his birthplace of Hayle.

Mr Rescorla was working as head of security at Morgan Stanley, which occupied 20 floors of the south tower at the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks on 11 September 2001.

He was last seen on the 10th floor, looking for more people to assist.

As white roses were laid by the memorial in Hayle, local historian Trevor Smitheram said: "There's a lot of people in the world now that lived that day for what Rick done."

The 62-year-old had previously raised concerns that the building was vulnerable to terrorism and organised regular evacuation drills for staff.

He was one of 2,605 people who died when the Twin Towers collapsed in the attack.

Mr Rescorla served in the British Army before becoming a US citizen in the 1960s.

He fought in Vietnam where he was known for singing to his troops to boost their spirits and received medals including the Purple Heart.

'Held in great esteem'

He is said to have sung Cornish songs during the evacuation of the World Trade Center.

Mr Smitheram, a friend of Mr Rescorla's mother, said the memorial service is held to mark the time when the planes hit the Twin Towers and he sends video to the US "so when they wake up they know we've paid our respects".

He gives talks about Mr Rescorla's life and said: "He's held in great esteem throughout the world."

He has visited the places in America connected with Mr Rescorla and added: "I'm very honoured to share his story all over Cornwall."

Mr Rescorla was posthumously awarded the highest American citizen award.

Mr Smitheram said he would like to see a parade in Hayle involving the Royal British Legion and schools to mark the 25th anniversary of Mr Rescorla's sacrifice next year.

A walkway in Hayle and a train have been named after the Cornish-born hero.