Oliver and Daniel Martin have written a book with a companion teddy bear to help other bereaved children cope after their firefighter father, Barry Martin, died following injuries sustained while tackling a blaze at the former Jenners department store in Edinburgh in 2023. The twins, now 12, based the therapy book on a journal they began as eight-year-olds while their father was critically ill in hospital.
The boys wrote down their thoughts and feelings in the hope their dad could read what they had been doing if he recovered, and they continued after his death to help them cope with the loss. The book, Barry the Brave, is aimed at children aged between six and 12 and is designed to help young readers understand the emotions they may feel when someone in their family dies suddenly.
Oliver and Daniel have spoken openly about the impact of their father’s death and the reason they wanted the book to be practical for other children facing grief. Daniel said:
We really wanted to create a book that would actually have an impact, because of what we've been through, to help other people,
We do remember a lot of what happened and it was horrible.
How it happened, my memories of the day and how it turned out. It was a very difficult time. There's always going to be a mark that's left.
We obviously do miss him a lot and sometimes it can be quite sad.
Barry Martin, who was 38 and from Fife, was called to tackle the fire at the former Jenners department store on Princes Street, Edinburgh, on 23 January 2023. After suffering very serious injuries, he died at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary four days later. He was the first firefighter to die in the line of duty in Scotland in 14 years.
Speaking about the days after their dad was injured, Daniel said the situation was frightening and uncertain. The twins began writing their journal during that time in the hope that their father would wake up and be able to read it during his recovery, and they kept writing after he died.
It was very scary and we didn't know what was going to happen.
The book uses their own experiences to help other children cope with traumatic deaths, and it takes readers through the different emotions children can feel when a family member dies suddenly. The Bazza bear that accompanies the book has been designed to offer comfort and solace to children who are struggling.
If you're sad you can cuddle up with it. It's for those people who are having a difficult time. We feel like they should have help to deal with what they're going through.
The twins launched the book at Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries on Saturday - Barry Martin Day - with family, friends and supporters of the Barry Martin Foundation. Copies will be donated to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary's bereavement team, and the family hopes the charity will also distribute books to Scottish primary schools.
As they approach the start of high school, Oliver and Daniel are also thinking about creating resources for bereaved teenagers, saying that writing has helped them find ways of coping. Their work is intended to offer support, understanding and reassurance to other children and young people facing similar experiences.
Their mother, Shelley Martin, said she believes Barry would have been very proud of the boys and hopes the resources will help children navigate grief while still finding hope amid sadness.
I've very proud of them. My heart could burst with how proud I am,
They've overcome so much. There's still a lot to come, but part of the book is about showing other people how you can live with loss, and you can live with love, you can live with grief, and you can live with happiness.
This book is for a child to understand it's OK to feel sad, and sometimes feel happy, because it can be very confusing and that is what our life is.
I think Barry would be so proud of these two.
The family are still waiting for the details of an inquiry into Barry Martin's death to be published, and Shelley Martin said they were waiting for answers, truth, accountability, and justice.
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said it recognises the deep loss felt by Barry Martin's family and their wish to understand the full facts of his tragic death. COPFS said it is considering the circumstances of Barry's death thoroughly and independently as it seeks to establish what happened, consider the question of criminality and issues of safety.
The spokesperson added that the investigation is complex and detailed, remains ongoing, and that significant developments will continue to be shared with the Martin family.
