Remembering brave Glasgow men who kept city safe from fire

Alongside brave firefighters, a dedicated band of men also played an important part in helping to stop blazes ravaging the city.

The work of the Glasgow Salvage Corps was often vital in preventing fires from taking hold in the first place.

On June 17, 1652 the Great Fire of Glasgow swept along Saltmarket, Briggait, Gallowgate and Trongate destroying houses, shops and warehouses.

Around 1000 families were made homeless, and hundreds of businesses were ruined. The town’s minutes, which we hold at the City Archives, record the appointment of quartermasters for every street in the town.

A Salvage Corps van attending the James Watt Street fire, 1968 (Image: Glasgow City Archives)

These officials had the authority to inventory the houses and goods of those unaffected by the fire and use them for the benefit of those who needed help.

Twenty-five years later another huge fire occurred in the same area, burning throughout the Gallowgate, Saltmarket and Trongate, making around seven hundred families homeless and levelling many shops, trades and businesses.

The harm caused by any fire, whether big or small, to lives and businesses was readily recognised by the town’s council.

The first attempts to establish a fire brigade in the city had already been made prior to the 1652 Great Fire, and in 1657 the city had its first fire engine. Glasgow’s first fire superintendent was appointed in 1747, albeit as a part time post until 1816.

Over time, as the city’s fire services developed and grew, so did insurance companies such as the Glasgow Fire Insurance Committee, established in 1847.

These companies felt that losses caused by fires were not being prevented as adequately as they could be.

So, in 1873, the Glasgow Salvage Corps was founded by several local fire insurance companies in an effort to bridge any gaps.

Glasgow Salvage Corps (Image: Glasgow City Archives)

The idea was not unique to Glasgow. Similar Salvage Corps had previously been set up in other cities, mostly notably in Liverpool in 1842 and London in 1866.

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The Glasgow Salvage Corps was supervised by the Glasgow Fire Insurance Committee, later known as the Glasgow Rate and Salvage Association. Records from both the association and the Glasgow Salvage Corps are held in our collections.

Originally the Glasgow Salvage Corps was made up of eight men, including a superintendent (the first was Edwin Goodchild), a foreman, a deputy foreman and five men.

They also had two horses and one horse-drawn engine. The salvagemen were dressed in uniforms nearly identical to those of municipal firemen and they operated alongside them, salvaging goods from fire-stricken premises, and helping to stop the spread of blazes to reduce any material (and other) losses.

Aftermath of Cheapside Street fire, 1960 (Image: Glasgow City Archives)

They were based first at Nicholas Street before moving in the 1880s to Albion Street, and their premises were arranged like fire stations.

Another important role undertaken by the Corps, from 1891, was the inspection of buildings to assess fire risks.

Buildings such as warehouses, stores or sheds from timber yards and bonded warehouses, as well as public buildings like cinemas and theatres, were carefully inspected.

The City Archives collections include sketches by inspectors of various local premises, noting entrances and access areas, with a record of the type of contents stored. Such information was useful for identifying potential risks, and most importantly to see if any improvements could be made.

If any of their recommendations were not carried out, owners were given up to three written warnings before the insurance premiums were increased.

Tackling fires is not without risk, and sadly, salvagemen also lost their lives in the course of their duties.

Five men of the Glasgow Salvage Corps - James McLellan, James Mungall, Edward Murray, Gordon McMillan and William Oliver - were killed alongside 14 firefighters in an explosion during a fire at Cheapside Street in 1960, one of Glasgow’s worst post-war disasters. They are remembered at a memorial in the Glasgow Necropolis.

Better developments in fire prevention and firefighting, along with high running costs, led to the eventual disbandment of the Glasgow Salvage Corps in 1984.

However, their dedication in protecting Glasgow against the hazards of fires has not been forgotten.