THE red dawn of tomorrow will be tinged with sadness for one member of Tavistock's dedicated ambulance crew.
For tonight Adrian Barrell, 65, will slide into the driving seat of his ambulance and switch on the 'blues and twos' for his last ever night shift.
Mr Barrell has been an ambulanceman for 20 years in Tavistock, but on Friday morning after another night of dealing with a variety of injuries, he will be retiring to pursue his writing career and to travel the country in a motor caravan he has built himself.
Mr Barrell, who lives between Walkhampton and Dousland, said: 'I have very much enjoyed the last 20 years. I will miss the camaraderie of the crew here — they're excellent, and I hope I won't lose contact with the service.'
Mr Barrell said he planned to continue his work with the British Heart Foundation, teaching vital life-saving skills, but much of his time is going to be spent unearthing the history of slate and the men who quarried it — he has already carried out an historical study of the quarries of North Wales, which he aims to publish shortly.
'It has been an abiding interest for many years, that and narrow-gauge railways, anything to do with slate really, though I haven't done anything yet with the Mill Hill quarry right on our own door step,' he said, seeing that as a local project for when he doesn't want to travel so much.
As well as touring in Wales, Mr Barrell expects to spend a lot of time in Cornwall, of which his wife is very fond.
Mr Barrell is likely to have a joint 'do' with colleague Ted Pegg who is retiring in April.