We’ll travel across the ocean to Great Britain to tell this bittersweet tale of public safety. It was in 1978 that the British fire service walked out on strike. The Army was quickly ordered to take over the job as Royal Firefighters.

During the labor dispute, a woman called the fire department to report that her pet cat, Little Missey, had climbed a tree in front of her flat and was too frightened to climb back down. The lady was impressed at how quickly the substitute firemen arrived at the scene. The quasi-firefighters did the expected, and in a matter of minutes, Little Missey was handed safely over to her mistress.

So grateful was the woman for the rescue of her pet kitty that she invited the firemen in for a cup of tea. It seemed like the civilized thing to do.

So here we are with six British soldiers-acting firemen, actually-sitting around a tea table exchanging pleasantries while a pot of tea is steeped. Of course, a plate of cookies was passed around to the heroic team. It was all so very proper.

What has all this got to do with the story? Well, nothing actually, except that I want to set the scene properly in the wake of this splendid rescue effort.

With the tea and cookies-crumpets, actually-dispatched, and thank-yous and other pleasantries exchanged, the men of Her Majesty’s Royal Army prepared to depart.

What happened next horrified not only members of Her Majesty’s Fire Service, indeed, it horrified all of the City of London. It is my sad duty to inform you that, as the firemen remounted their vehicle in preparation for a return trip to the fire station, a tragic event occurred.

The driver of the fire truck accidentally backed over the recently rescued feline, Little Missey, leaving her stone dead in the driveway.

There is no way to know for certain if this incident was the catalyst for settling the city-wide labor dispute, but the striking firemen returned to their duty stations two days after the tragic episode involving the untimely demise of Little Missey.