Glasgow fashion store fire left 13 young women dead

Thirteen girls and young women aged between 15 and 23 died when a ferocious blaze took hold of Grafton’s fashion store on Argyle Street, 74 years ago this week, on May 4, 1949.

More than a day later, crews of firemen and Salvage Corps officers were still on site.

Our sister newspaper The Glasgow Herald painted a heartbreaking picture in its report on May 6.

“Examination yesterday of the building at 47 Argyle Street ... where 13 girls lost their lives in the fire on Wednesday revealed it to be a charred ruin,” commented the report.

The fire raged for hours. (Image: Newsquest)

“A relief crew of firemen had been on duty all night damping the embers and during the day members of the Salvage Corps and workmen were busy clearing up the debris.

“The rear of the premises, where the girls were trapped, was open to the sky and workmen were wrenching down charred and dangerous rafters.

“The floors below were covered with the burned remains of clothing, furniture and documents and on the ground floor were dummy models in scorched and sodden gowns.”

The report noted that most of the young women who had escaped from the building had already returned to work in the firm’s other premises in the city. Some of them visited the scene of the fire and searched for personal items left behind.

The newspaper quoted Pearl Simpson, of Netherlee, who said: “I have never seen anything like this, I didn’t realise it was so terrible.”

The report continued: “One of the girls found her handbag complete ... but it was useless. A male member of staff found a fragment of his raincoat.”

During the day members of the firm – its official title was Grafton’s (Fashion Specialists) Ltd - visited the scene, some having come by plane and train from London.

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The report added: “The adjoining cinema, which had to be evacuated, reopened at one o’clock, two hours later than usual, though there was slight damage by water and the smell of smoke still lingered.”

It caused chaos on the busy shopping streets surrounding the store, too, noted the reporter.

“During the afternoon thousands of people passed along Argyle Street and mounted police had to be called to control the crowds,” said the report.

“Vehicular traffic was reduced to a slow speed and long lines of tramcars formed at times.”

The newspaper pointed out that the worst previous disaster in Glasgow had happened on November 18, 1905, when 39 people lost their lives and 24 were seriously injured in a fire in a lodging house on Watson Street.

Out of the tragedy came a story of incredible bravery.

An ex-paratrooper, Solomon Winetrobe, who was working at Grafton’s as a stock records manager, was the hero of the day.

He won the George Medal, the highest civilian bravery award, for his role in helping some women escape to safety.

As the fire raged, he became trapped on the fourth floor with a number of female colleagues. Flames were now blocking the stairwell, so he knew he had to act quickly.

With smoke pouring out of the building’s windows, he held on to a drainpipe as he helped them climb out of a top floor window and crawl along a narrow ledge onto the Argyle Street Cinema roof.

Here, another colleague - George Platt - assisted them in making it to an adjoining roof where they were rescued by firemen.

The window ledge was just 12 centimetres (five inches) wide and more than 15 metres (50ft) from the ground.

On the street below, pedestrians who just hours before had been shopping and meeting friends, were forced to flee from the scene as the vicious blaze took hold.

Flames had been discovered in an elevator shaft and, when fire crews arrived, there was so much smoke, they did not know which side of the street the fire was on.

Crowds of cinemagoers from next door were evacuated, adding to the crowds and confusion in the street. It took two hours to bring the blaze under control and in addition to the 13 women who died, more than 20 others were injured.