Most people will remember what they were doing when received news of what was unfolding in New York City on the 11th September 2001. But here in Hayle, we didn’t yet know that one of the heroes of that terrible day was a man born and bred in our town. His name was Rick Rescorla.
Richard Cyril Rescorla was born on the 27th May 1939 in Hayle and went on to attend Penpol School, where it became clear that he was a natural born leader. Rick excelled in sports; he was a keen boxer, played rugby for Hayle Colts, and set the school record for shot put.
In 1957, Rick left Hayle and enlisted in the British Army, training as a paratrooper in the Parachute Regiment. He was moved to Cyprus and served with an Intelligence Unit until 1960. Rick then joined the Northern Rhodesian Police as a Police inspector for 3 years. During this time, he met American soldier Dan Hill. Rick and Dan became lifelong friends and it was Hill that encouraged Rick to join the US Army. On returning to the UK, Rick joined Scotland Yard, but he felt unable to settle in London.
In 1963, Rick moved to Brooklyn and enlisted in the US Army, training at Fort Dix. He also attended Officer Candidate School and undertook airborne training at Fort Benning. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Calvary Division (air mobile).
In 1965, Rick was deployed to Vietnam, where he fought from 1965 to 1966. His fellow soldiers gave him the nickname “Hard Core” for his extreme bravery and courage in battle. They respected him for his good humour and compassion towards his fellow soldiers; he would often sing to his troops to calm them and give them confidence.
During his time serving in Vietnam, Rick received many war honours for his bravery including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He left active duty in 1969.
On returning to the US, he went to college at the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City University School of Law, where he gained degrees in Law, English and Creative Writing. He then moved to South Carolina, where he taught Criminal Justice for 3 years.
He left teaching for a job in corporate security, with Dean Reynolds INC, who later merged with Morgan Stanley. They were based in the South Tower of the World Trade Centre in New York.
Rick had concerns about the security of the World Trade Centre, following the 1993 attack on the Towers. He introduced emergency evacuation drills for all staff every three months. Morgan Stanley operated over 22 Floors in the South Tower, employing over 3,000 people.
When the North Tower was hit at 8.46am on 11th September, Rick heard and saw the explosion from his office on the 44th floor of the South Tower. He ignored the public announcement by the Port Authority which told people to stay at their desks. Instead, he grabbing his Bull Horn, Walkie Talkie and mobile phone. and began to evacuate 2,700 Morgan Stanley employees.
At 9.30am, the South Tower was hit. Rick directed the employees down the stairwell, keeping them away from the lifts, just like he had done in his evacuation drills.
He sang Cornish songs from his youth to keep them calm and to boost their moral.
After evacuating almost all of Morgan Stanley’s 2,700 employees, Rick re-entered the building. One of his colleagues told him it was time to leave and he replied, “I will as soon as I make sure everyone is safe.”
He was last seen on the 10th floor of the South Tower heading upwards. Moments later the tower collapsed. Rick’s remains were never found.
As well as a memorial to Rick on Penpol Terrace, there is a statue of him at Fort Benning and his name can be found on the National 9/11 memorial at South Park, New York.
On Friday 11th September 2026, 25 years on from that terrible day, we remember Rick and all those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. At 1.30pm, there will be a memorial service at Rick’s memorial on Penpol Terrace.
This blog post was written and researched by Hayle Heritage Centre volunteer Sharon.
