Salvage Corps came into existence in the 19th century. With the growth of cities, fires and insurance, underwriters in several cities established fire fighting services to reduce losses. As municipal fire brigades became more competent in the 20th century, the private fire companies cut back their services and emphasised salvaging property after the regular firemen had done their job.
20-500: Most were disbanded in the late 20th century and absorbed into the main Departments/Brigades. This included: On the 28th of March, 1960, a fire broke out on Cheapside Street . A million gallons of whisky in 21,000 wooden casks and 30,000 gallons of rum were housed in the building. Some of the wooden casks, under the heat of the fire, had ruptured which caused a massive liquid vapour explosion. The explosion ripped apart
40-497: A change in the law to allow burial for profit. Previously the parish church held responsibility for burying the dead but there was a growing need for an alternative. Glasgow was one of the first to join this campaign, having a growing population, with fewer and fewer attending church. Led by Lord Provost James Ewing of Strathleven , the planning of the cemetery was started by the Merchants' House of Glasgow in 1831, in anticipation of
60-539: A change in the law. The Cemeteries Act was passed in 1832 and Glasgow Necropolis officially opened in April 1833. Just before this, in September 1832, a Jewish burial ground had been established in the north-west section of the land. This small area was declared "full" in 1851. Pre-dating the cemetery, the statue of John Knox sitting on a column at the top of the hill, dates from 1825. The first burials were in 1832 in
80-570: A massive boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE) that burst the front and rear walls of the building outwards causing large quantities of masonry to collapse into the street. This collapse instantly killed three firemen in Cheapside Street as well as 11 firemen and five salvagemen who were battling the blaze from the rear of the building in Warroch Street. By 8:12 pm, Firemaster Chadwick assumed command and upgraded
100-473: A salvage tender and crew from the Glasgow Salvage Corps. The first fire crews arrived at 7:21 pm and after a quick reconnaissance three more pumps were requested to attend. Crews were informed by civilians that smoke and flame had been seen on the Warroch Street side of the building and additional crews and equipment were sent to investigate. Assistant Firemaster Swanson had now arrived on
120-545: A tobacco warehouse, an ice cream factory and the Harland and Wolff engine works, were engulfed. The recovery of the bodies in Warroch Street was not completed until 10.20 am on 31 March. The incident remains Britain's worst peacetime fire services disaster. The following is a list of the firefighters and salvagemen who lost their lives in the line of duty on 28 March 1960 during this event: Several awards for bravery were presented: The men who were killed were buried in
140-578: Is Britain's worst peacetime fire services disaster. The fire at a whisky bond killed 14 fire service and 5 salvage corps personnel. This fire was overshadowed only by a similar fire in James Watt Street (also in Glasgow) on 19 November 1968, when 22 people died. On the evening of 28 March 1960, a fire started in a bonded warehouse owned by Arbuckle, Smith and Company in Cheapside Street, Anderston , Glasgow . The Glasgow Fire Service
160-527: Is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only a small percentage are named on monuments and not every grave has a stone. Approximately 3,500 monuments exist here. Following the creation of Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris a wave of pressure began for cemeteries in Britain. This required
180-655: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission . The first, and highest ranking, of those buried here is Lieutenant-General Sir James Moncrieff Grierson , who died in August 1914 in France and whose body was repatriated. His grave is in section Primus 38. As Jewish people were not allowed to be interred within Christian burial grounds, a small area outwith the boundary of the main cathedral graveyard
200-463: The Victoria Cross . Across the bridge the original scheme was to enter the area via a tunnel but this proved unviable. The ornate entrance of 1836 remains. The cemetery, as most early Victorian cemeteries, is laid out as an informal park, lacking the formal grid layouts of later cemeteries. This layout is further enhanced by the complex topography. The cemetery's paths meander uphill towards
220-588: The "Bridge of Sighs" because it was part of the route of funeral processions (the name is an allusion to the Bridge of Sighs in Venice ). The ornate gates (by both David and James Hamilton) were erected in 1838, restricting access onto the bridge. Three modern memorials lie between the gates and the bridge: a memorial to still-born children; a memorial to the Korean War ; and a memorial to Glaswegian recipients of
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#1732787765411240-608: The end, the following from Glasgow Salvage Corps had passed: For Glasgow Salvage Corps , Liverpool Salvage Corps , and London Salvage Corps , The ranks would be based upon, at the time, Fire Services/Brigades ranks with slight alterations. This would be from 'Fire Man' to 'Salvage Man' and would shorten the rank structure as it was more of a 'Rescue Crew' instead of a 'Brigade'. While the flames raged , by Emmons E. Douglass Cheapside Street whisky bond fire The Cheapside Street whisky bond fire in Glasgow on 28 March 1960
260-480: The extreme north-east on the lowest ground and were exclusively for Jewish burials (see section below). Alexander Thomson designed a number of its tombs, and John Bryce and David Hamilton designed other architecture for the grounds. The main entrance is approached by a bridge over what was then the Molendinar Burn . The bridge, which was designed by David Hamilton was completed in 1836. It became known as
280-547: The front & rear walls of the building. Causing massive amounts of brickwork to collapse into Cheapside Street & Warrock Street. Sadly, the impact instantly killed 3 Fire Men in the explosion because of the flying bricks and a further 11 at the rear of the building in Warrock Street who were buried in the rubble, so with three Fire Appliances. In the end, the devastating building fire claimed 5 men from Glasgow Salvage Corps and 14 men from Glasgow Fire Service . In
300-476: The incident to twenty pumps. At its peak, thirty pumps, five turntable ladders and various special vehicles attended. In all, 450 firefighters from the Greater Glasgow area were involved in fighting the fire, which took a week to extinguish. Witnesses reported seeing bright blue flames leaping 40 feet (12 metres) into the sky, with the glow visible across the entire city. Neighbouring buildings, including
320-545: The rubble, but were later laid to rest in the fire service tomb in Glasgow Necropolis . A memorial service is held on 28 March each year, with representatives of the fire service and Glasgow City Council present. Memorial services and other observations were held in 2010 to mark the 50th anniversary of the disaster. Due to the ban on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 60th anniversary commemoration
340-404: The scene and having been fully apprised of the situation increased the number of pumps (fire engines) to eight. This message was sent at 7:49 pm. Seconds after it was transmitted, an explosion occurred. The warehouse contained over a million gallons of whisky held in 21,000 wooden casks, and 30,000 gallons of rum. As the temperature of the fire increased, some of these casks ruptured, causing
360-584: The summit, where many of the larger monuments stand, clustered around the John Knox Monument. The Glasgow Necropolis was described by James Stevens Curl as "literally a city of the dead". Glasgow native Billy Connolly has said: "Glasgow's a bit like Nashville, Tennessee : it doesn't care much for the living, but it really looks after the dead." Glasgow Necropolis holds graves of 19 Commonwealth service personnel, 15 from World War I and 4 from World War II , that are registered and maintained by
380-601: Was a more limited affair, signified by a wreath-laying by Chief Officer Martin Blunden alone. The reverse side of the monument remembers those firefighters lost in the Kilbirnie Street fire in 1972. 55°51′27″N 4°16′17″W / 55.8575°N 4.27136°W / 55.8575; -4.27136 Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow , Scotland. It
400-488: Was initially alerted by a 999 call at 7:15 pm from the foreman of the Eldorado Ice Cream Company, which was near the whisky bond. He reported smoke coming from a second floor window of the warehouse. In response, two pumps from West Station with Sub Officer James Calder in charge were sent, along with a turntable ladder from Central Station. Also responding initially was the fire boat St Mungo and
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