“THE pain of losing Jim is still raw”.

Those were the words of the widow of Poole firefighter Jim Shears as the first anniversary of his death in the line of duty was due to be marked today.

Members of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service were due to fall silent for two minutes at 11am and fly flags at half mast for the day a year on from when Jim, 35, and his colleague Alan Bannon, 38, died fighting a fire at 15-storey Shirley Towers in Southampton.

Both men were members of Red Watch at St Mary’s Fire Station in the city and Jim lived with wife Carla and children Frankie and Ruben in Oakdale, Poole.

Carla said: “One year on, the pain of losing Jim is still raw. I miss his smile, his funny humour and his devotion to his friends and family.

“I am not sure how we have managed to get through the past year. It has been incredibly hard. My friends and family have made it possible.

“Support from the big-hearted public through their kind words, cards, generous contributions to fundraising events and those that have completed fantastic efforts to raise funds has brought me much warmth inside, for which I am very grateful, and again I would like to say a huge thank-you.”

She also thanked all at Hampshire Fire and Rescue for their support.

“Jim and Alan are always in my thoughts and always will be. They are our heroes, never to be forgotten and I am incredibly proud of them both,” added Carla.

Chief Officer John Bonney was due to join Red Watch today at St Mary’s Fire Station to observe the silence.

A statement from Red Watch said they could never replace “Bert” and “Britney”, as Alan and Jim were nicknamed.

Police are still investigating their deaths.