We put things aside and got on with the job. The explosion was followed by a blaze almost unprecedented in its ferocity. They said: ‘Driver, could you get us an axe?’, “The four of them were buried right in front of my eyes. Cheapside veterans attended a wreath-laying ceremony at Glasgow's Necropolis, followed by a service at Glasgow Cathedral. This devastating blaze at a whisky warehouse was one of the worst peacetime fires in British history: 19 members of the fire brigade and salvage corps were killed. There was nothing I could do. Two “pumps” – the service name for fire engines – plus a turntable ladder and a fire boat, the St Mungo, arrived on the scene, joined by a tender and seven men of the Glasgow Salvage Corps. Cheapside Street is … There were still a dozen workers inside working overtime with a Customs Officer observing, so the possibility of a dropped cigarette or match was mentioned while clearly there had been some sort of leak from casks of whisky held upstairs. Firefighters pay their respects to the men who lost their lives at the Cheapside Street disaster Today marks the anniversary of the Cheapside disaster that claimed the lives of 19 firefighters in Glasgow in 1960. Fourteen firefighters and five members of the Salvage Corps died tackling a blaze at a whisky bond in Cheapside Street, on 28 March 1960. Had the explosion occurred about 10 minutes later the death-roll might well have been in the region of 50 to 60. After a year-out working as an architectural assistant in Manchester he attended The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, where he did a Diploma in Architecture. Cheapside Streetin viskivaraston palo tapahtui 28. maaliskuuta 1960, kun Glasgow’n Cheapside Streetillä sijainneessa viskin säilytykseen käytetyssä tullivarastossa syttyi tulipalo noin kello 19.10. It must never be forgotten. It is a high profile commission for one of the city’s most important and strategic sites, on the north bank of the Clyde immediately west of the Kingston Bridge. I heard screams and then there was a sudden silence.”, Driver Bob Scouller of the Glasgow Salvage Corps, remembered a horrible sight: “The buildings seemed to make me sort of shiver a wee bit. READ MORE: Glasgow whisky bond fire that killed 19 people is remembered 60 years on An explosion inside the building caused its 60ft walls to crash down into Cheapside Street and Warroch Street. Morrison, Wm B, & Son Ltd. 60-80 CHEAPSIDE ST. G3 8BJ Glasgow. There are 3 ways to get from Glasgow Central Station to Cheapside Street whisky bond fire by bus, taxi or foot. The men died in an explosion as they fought a blaze at a whisky warehouse. Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Preservation Group (now Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Heritage Trust) were delighted to be asked to visit St. Patricks and the Anderston Primary Schools in Glasgow as part of the Cheapside Project.. Fuelled by spirits, blue flames erupted from the building and then orange flames shot hundreds of feet into the dark sky, lighting up Glasgow for many miles around. The whisky barrels were falling out of the building and bursting into flames. This was now a conflagration almost out of control, and the firefighters had to leave the bodies of their dead colleagues under the rubble, knowing that no one could have survived the collapse of the wall. In a research paper published later in the year, Glasgow’s Firemaster Martin Chadwick recalled how close the dear green place came to a “major disaster” that could have seen many dozens killed and a whole swathe of the city destroyed: “While expressing very deep regret at the loss of so many valuable officers and men, I am very conscious that in some measure we were fortunate that the loss of life was not even greater. photo © Adrian Welch, Buildings / photos for the Cheapside Street Architecture page welcome. George Medals went to Station Officer Peter McGill and fireman James Dunlop, the latter for rescuing a colleague from a collapsing turntable. “As it was, a large percentage of the crews making the initial response were involved in the explosion which affected both sides of the building simultaneously and the 19 personnel who we were killed were among those who arrived on the fire ground in the first 10 minutes. Yet there are some events which by their very nature should never be forgotten and later this month in Glasgow, a commemoration will take place of one such event – the Cheapside Street Fire Disaster of March 28, 1960. We were all in position when the explosion occurred. Strathclyde Partnership in Transport operates Park & Ride facilities at 3 Subway stations for as little as £2.60 all day: Bridge Street, Kelvinbridge and Shields Road.. Motorcycle Parking. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. The first call to the fire was at approximately 19:15 and 2 pumps and a turntable ladder (TL) were initially sent. Firefighters went inside but could see no serious flames at first, and meanwhile crews arrived to check out claim that smoke was issuing from the rear of the bond in Warroch Street. Police seized the huge haul of Class B drugs, which have an estimated street value of £1.4m, on Cheapside Street on Monday February 4 after a tip off from a member of the public. A requiem mass had taken place earlier in the day at St Andrew’s Cathedral where a message of sympathy from Pope John XIII was read to the congregation. “It is to the great credit of the services that in spite of the knowledge of such a great tragedy, officers and men applied themselves to this tremendous task without any concern for their own personal safety and carried on throughout the night with such immense courage that they actually gained control of the fire situation for the first time at about 06.00.” The news of Britain’s worst peacetime loss of life for the fire services shocked the UK and beyond. “The extreme rapid development of fire required instant and increased attention particularly if further explosions involving other similar bonded stores had to be avoided and these endeavours were the first quite proper reactions to an otherwise very alarming and hazardous situation. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. “The resultant subsequent release of liquid whisky and inflammable vapour rendered immediate rescue operations impossible and this together with the fact that the teams on both sides of the building were instantly involved, prevented one body of men assisting the other. Date 9/5/1966. 1960. Cheapside Street fire, Glasgow. Firefighting history: March 28, 1960. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Glasgow Architects Offices: Design Practices, Glasgow Walking Tours: Tour Guide for Walks. Cheapside Street fire, Glasgow. I said to myself ‘I’m going back.’ I turned and I started to walk back up, and as I came near the turntable ladder there were four firemen. We are part of the Ailsa group of companies which have been operating in the health & social care sector for over 25 years. 1 warehouse crashing down into Cheapside Street, right on top of the turntable ladder and three pumps. They were: Glasgow Fire Service Sub Officers James Calder and John McPherson and Firemen Christopher Boyle, Alexander Grassie, Edward McMillan, Ian McMillan, William Watson, John Allan, Gordon Chapman, William Crocket, Archibald Darroch, Daniel Davidson, Alfred Dickinson and George McIntyre, Glasgow Salvage Corps Deputy Salvage Officer, Superintendent Edward Murray, Leading Salvageman James McLellan and Salvagemen Gordon McMillan, James Mungall and William Oliver. The area containing Cheapside Street, Glasgow, Scotland consists predominantly of flats, which is common in inner cities, student neighbourhoods and poorer suburban settings. Trusted by over 3 million drivers across the UK. Get involved with the news in your community, This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. The Cheapside Street fire razed an area of Glasgow to the ground and cost the lives of nineteen men. The blaze, in Cheapside Street, Anderston, was first spotted at 7.15pm, by the foreman of the nearby Eldorado Ice Cream Company, who reported smoke coming from a … It was like all hell was let loose. Steel Fabricators & Erectors. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2rio's travel planner. There were many awards for bravery. Cheapside Street memorial 2017 Publish Date: 28 March 2017. G3 8BH Glasgow. The people of Glasgow and many other parts of Scotland responded to the tragedy by raising funds for the families of the bereaved. Expiry times: "All Day" expires at 23:59 for the day applicable The Cheapside fire. It is envisaged that Detailed Planning Consent will be sought in the Spring following the model of the Masterplan approval obtained for the site in 2003. gm+ad are currently on site with Glasgow Harbour phase 2 for Dandara Ltd. The men who lost their lives on that dreadful night ranged in age from 24 to 54. Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop Architects have been appointed for the detailed design of a mixed development of two city blocks centred on Cheapside Street in Glasgow. At the memorial service in Glasgow Cathedral, its minister the Rev Dr Nevile Davidson said of the dead that they had shown “A shining example of duty done to the utmost of courage undaunted by danger of self-sacrifice.”. A fleet of ambulances had been called in just after the explosion, but they left with only a few casualties. The funerals a week later were attended by representatives of every fire brigade in the country and more than 400 wreaths arrived from elsewhere in the UK and Europe. The scale of operations at Arbuckle Smith was in a different league to most such premises – over one million gallons of whisky was contained in 21,000 wooden casks, with 30,000 gallons of rum also on the site. There was a determination to beat this fire. Motorcycle parking is available in Cambridge Street and High Street car parks. Capitalism will survive the coronavirus crisis. Category On-line Digital Images. The first turntable ladder had taken up position in Cheapside Street and firefighters there found a real problem – the tight security demanded of any bond meant that windows were barred and doors locked tight. Administrative areas postcode Cheapside Street. The fire at a whisky bond killed 14 fire service and 5 salvage corps personnel. Bank holiday hours and tariffs: Open at standard Weekday times and tariffs. ©Copyright 2001-2021. Find average house prices, current average values and other historic property data with the … Adrian Welch was born in Kincardineshire, Scotland and attended school in Scotland. Glasgow’s reputation as “tinderbox city” was not quite established at that point but the service had attended three fires at whisky premises in the previous week. We all ran out and I heard a cry of ‘Help!’. The average house price in Cheapside Street, Eaglesham, Glasgow G76 is £340,988. Fifty-seven years ago, today, a blaze in a bonded warehouse in Glasgow claimed the lives of 19 Fire Service personnel, making it Britain's worst peacetime fire services disaster. The British Empire Medal for Gallantry was awarded to sub-officer Charles Neeson, firemen George Alexander and John Nicholson, and PC James Gribben. Directions to Cheapside Street (Glasgow) with public transport The following transport lines have routes that pass near Cheapside Street Bus: 1B , 38 , 38B , 500 , 9 , X10 , X19 , X8 On 28 March 1960, the Cheapside Street store made a profound mark on Glasgow. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? READ MORE: Fraser of Allander Institute dismisses Scotland-Ireland tunnel. Ailsa Assist / Ailsa Response are divisions of Ailsa Care Services Cheapside Street Fire – 60 years since one of Britain's worst peacetime fire disasters The whisky bond blaze raged for a week and claimed the lives of 19 firefighters glasgowlive John Swanson recalled later: “There was a roar similar to thunder, and then a long ‘swish’ or ‘boom’ that caused me to look up and see what was happening. ; All of our candidates meet a strict vetting process and will have previous experience within the health or social care sector. He completed his Architecture degree in 1992, attending Manchester University. ‘I saw a turntable ladder that had been in the middle of the street being completely enveloped by tons of fallen bricks, masonry and dust. Of the 19 dead, 18 were married and in total they had 13 children. Assistant Firemaster John Swanson arrived and at 7.49pm he radioed in for five more pumps to be sent. It was like bombs going off.”. Cheapside Street Fire Disaster. The narrow streets and alleyways of Anderston made conditions almost impossible for fighting fires. Find parking in Cheapside St, with access to an unrivalled choice of the best spaces. Published from its offices at 200 Renfield Street Glasgow and printed in Scotland by Newsquest (Herald & Times) a division of Newsquest Media Group Ltd, registered in England & Wales with number 01676637 at Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe HP10 9TY – a Gannett company. 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