50 years on, the victims of Cheapside Street fire disaster are remembered

THE men killed in the UK fire service's worst peacetime tragedy were remembered yesterday on the 50th anniversary of the disaster.

Fourteen firefighters and five salvage corps members died in an explosion as they tackled a blaze at a whisky warehouse in Glasgow. The fire at Arbuckle, Smith and Company – which has become known as the Cheapside Street disaster – happened on 28 March, 1960.

Yesterday, survivors of the disaster, families of those killed, retired firefighters and members of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service attended a series of memorial services in Glasgow.

The day began with a wreath-laying ceremony in the Necropolis at the memorial erected to those who died in the fire. It was followed by a service at Glasgow Cathedral, attended by more than 600 people, and a two-minute silence in George Square.

During the Cathedral service, the chief officer of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, Brian Sweeney, paid tribute to the bravery of the firefighters. He said: "We are here to commemorate the lives of the 19 men who made the ultimate sacrifice at Cheapside Street.

"Their duty was to protect lives and property and they did that unflinchingly. We are also here to recognise and respect the bravery and dedication of the firemen who fought and controlled the massive blaze."

Among those at the service were some of the surviving firefighters who had been involved in the Cheapside blaze.

James Dunlop, 81, who later received the George Medal for his bravery during the fire, said of the service: "It has been magnificent, beautifully organised and very impressive.

"It's important that have these events. My memories of the incident are still very vivid. It was a very sudden and unexpected explosion that took us by surprise. It took us a few moments to realise that it had occurred. To me it wasn't scary after that. There was a determination to beat this fire."

Among the tales of heroism, family members of those who perished in the blaze spoke of their sense of loss but also of their pride in the sacrifice that their relatives had made.

Tommy McIntyre, whose father George was among the firefighters killed, described the moment his family learned of the disaster. He said: "My mother and I had been watching Wagon Train on television and it abruptly finished and went directly to the ITN news in London. The news reader said that four firemen had been killed in a disastrous fire in Glasgow and 17 were trapped."

Mr McIntyre, whose family lived at the fire station where his father worked, went to Cheapside Street to find out what had happened to him. "I was talking to firemen there, asking them if they had my dad, but they all said, 'No, he might be down at the Clyde side'. I think a couple knew what had happened and didn't to tell me until later on.

"I stayed there until 10 o'clock and then went back to the North West fire station, and it was shortly after that my mother was told of his death. It was just terribly, terribly sad, but I'm immensely proud of my father and what he did."