4 days ago
Fireman from famous Glasgow photo shares story of dramatic night
At the top of a towering ladder, a fireman is just visible as he directs a jet of water on to the burning building below.
Smoke fills the sky, as flames inside the building cast an eerie glow into the October night.
The building in question is the St Andrew's Halls, and Jim Gallagher remembers this moment well – because he was the man at the top of the ladder.
Jim, centre, with colleagues from Glasgow's fire service (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)
In the first of a two-part Times Past special feature about Jim's memories of Glasgow, he reveals the real story behind the fire that shocked the city.
'It was freezing, and I was up there for four hours,' says Jim, now 85. 'I was numb and shaking like a leaf when I came back down.'
It was October 26, 1962, and the drama began for Jim and his colleagues just before midnight.
'Our bells started ringing about 11.30pm, and we raced down North Street to Charing Cross – this was before the motorway, of course,' says Jim.
Retired firefighter Jim Gallagher, 85 (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)
'We were confused when we got there, though – no smoke, no flames, all you could see were what looked like wee bits of steam coming out at the pillars.
'We waited for our orders to go in.'
Jim adds: 'One of the men said, 'I think we've lost it,' but I couldn't understand what he was talking about – there was no sign of a fire.
'He told me to jump out the engine on to the street and then I understood. You could hear it 'breathing', the building, a kind of whoomp, whoomp noise, in and out ...
'Then all hell broke loose.'
As more fire crews and fire prevention teams arrived, Jim watched as the doors to the hall were kicked in.
'And of course, that let the wind in, and the place went up like a light,' he says, with a shake of his head.
'I was handed a belt with two big clips on it, and I knew what was coming. I'd done the drills. I knew I was going up the turntable ladder.'
Jim looking through old photos of the St Andrew's Halls fire (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)
Jim recalls being lifted 120 feet into the air, and the 'wham' of the water when it came out the end of the hose.
'It was some force,' he nods. 'The roof had gone by this time, and the heat was incredible. The water was just turning to steam as it hit the flames.'
Jim spent four hours at the top of the ladder. 'It was a cold October night and the uniforms weren't the fancy outfits they are now,' he says. 'We had a heavy jacket, some leggings and rubber boots – and the helmet, which was made of cork.
'I was frozen. I can still remember the mug of Bovril the Salvation Army handed to me – it was delicious.'
Despite the best efforts of Jim and his colleagues, Glasgow's premier concert venue was completely destroyed that night.
While up the ladder, he recalls, amid the smoke and heat, Jim spotted a 'stop gap' between the walls of the hall and the library next door.
'It was a big space, a fire wall created during the war, and that's what saved the Mitchell Library,' says Jim.
There were no fatalities, thankfully, but the loss of the hall was devastating to the city both architecturally and financially. Records in Glasgow City Archive include the firemaster's report, which notes the cost of the damage to be around £1 million.
Jim was brought up in Bridgeton. His dad was a carpenter and cabinet-maker, his mum ran the house and looked after Jim, his two brothers, Alan and Sandy, and sisters Margaret and Celia.
He now lives in sheltered housing in Kirkintilloch, where he enjoys regaling staff and visitors with his tales of working in the city.
Jim has been a police officer, a taxi driver, and a Glasgow Corporation bus driver, but he particularly enjoyed his four years in the fire service.
'It was a great job - the boys loved pulling pranks,' he says, smiling.
'All your uniform was stored on the fire engine, and occasionally, you'd pull on your boots to find them half full of water.'
Don't miss Tuesday's Glasgow Times for more of Jim's memories of living and working in the city.
