How does a dramatic re-enactment of a fatal accident inquiry (FAI), making clay plaques to celebrate children’s heroes, and a public demonstration by a fire investigation dog and its handler help to honour and commemorate the sacrifice of firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty? A novel collaborative project between community and youth engagement officers at Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, university historians from Leeds and Birmingham and Knowetop Primary School in Motherwell has used creative learning activities to engage children aged 10 and 11 in learning about a forgotten fire at a nearby steelworks 60 years ago, which caused the deaths of two firefighters, Joseph Calderwood (56) and Stanley McIntosh (48). The firefighters’ sacrifice will be remembered by the unveiling of a Fire Brigades Union Red Plaque at Motherwell fire station on 11th January 2023 in a ceremony to be attended by their relatives, the school-children and representatives from across the fire service, union and local authority.
Photo: Station Officer Joseph Calderwood, Lanarkshire Fire Brigade. Reproduced with permission of Graeme Kirkwood.
Photo: Assistant Firemaster Stanley McIntosh, Lanarkshire Fire Brigade. Reproduced with permission of Graeme Kirkwood.
On 7th January 1963, fire appliances from across Lanarkshire attended a call to a fire at the premises of David Colville & Sons, an iron and steel company with its works in Mossend, Bellshill, as well as Motherwell. One of the largest employers in the area, Colvilles produced the lion’s share of Scotland’s steel, which was used on ships like the Titanic and Queen Mary as well as iconic structures including the Forth and Tay bridges. The fire broke out in a paint store but, unbeknownst to the firefighters at the scene, other flammable materials were stored there, including paraffin and petrol in large unmarked drums. Assistant Firemaster McIntosh, who had served in Aberdeen Fire Brigade as well as the National Fire Service, before joining Lanarkshire after the war, had accompanied the brigade’s new chief, John Stewart, of a tour of the county’s stations when news of the fire broke. Attending the scene, McIntosh entered the premises with a hose jet accompanied by Station Officer Calderwood, but a violent explosion, akin to a bomb, killed McIntosh instantly and sent Calderwood staggering out of the building, ‘blazing like a torch’ from head to foot. He was taken to a local hospital and later transferred to Glasgow Royal Infirmary’s world-famous burns unit, but sadly lost his life the following week. Firemaster Stewart avoided serious injury because he was wearing a heavy woollen coat, while another firefighter, Cornelius Troy, was treated for burns after being showered by blazing paint.
The FAI recorded a verdict of accidental death by burning in both instances. Important lessons were learned: these included the need for improved PPE, the importance of adhering to agreed methods of safe working during a fire of unknown cause, and the legal requirement for firms to clearly label dangerous substances and advise the local brigade of any particularly dangerous risks.
Photo: members of the public pay their respects to Stanley McIntosh, January 1963. Reproduced with permission of Bob Reid.
Calderwood and McIntosh were awarded full service honours, their coffins carried on the back of fire engines and accompanied by firefighters through their home communities. Calderwood, who was well-liked amongst his peers, had recently received his long-service medal for twenty years’ continuous service. A carpenter by trade, he made an elegant memorial to local men who gave their lives during the First Word War, which still hangs in the parish church at Carfin. Their funerals were filmed on 8mm cine-reel, footage of which has recently been donated to the project team alongside photographs and other ephemera. A plaque commemorating the firefighters was unveiled inside the fire station during the 1980s, but the red plaque will be placed outside the station to commemorate the station’s important community work, especially with Knowetop Primary, which is located almost directly opposite the station.
Photo: Pupils in room 23 handled historical and current fit kit and PPE as part of their research into the Colville’s fire in January 1963. Reproduced with permission of Knowetop Primary School.
The project, which was delivered over a series of weekly workshops, was coordinated by Professors Shane Ewen (Leeds Beckett University) and Jonathan Reinarz (University of Birmingham) as part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project ‘Forged by Fire: Burns Injury and Identity in Britain, c.1800-2000’. For Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, David Jackson (Crew Commander) and Julie-Ann Muir (Youth Engagement Advocate) played integral roles in the workshops, sharing their own experiences of the service and fire prevention advice with the pupils, who never shirked from asking searching questions or sharing an informed opinion. Jonathan Honeyman (Watch Commander) and Alexander Muir (Area West Secretary, FBU) also kindly participated in the workshops, sharing their detailed knowledge and experience of fire investigation and firefighting respectively. Having studied archival materials, the pupils created a timeline of events leading up to the fire, used historical documents to investigate its cause, handled historic and contemporary fire kit, re-enacted the FAI and wrote dedications to the two firefighters, before creating plaques from clay to honour their own heroes – these ranged from relatives to doctors and even included pets and, of course, Phoenix, the service’s much-loved fire dog, whose appearance in one of the workshops created a memorable experience for the young people.
Photo: pupils in Room 23 meet Jonathan Honeyman and Phoenix for dog, for a demonstration of modern fire investigation methods. Reproduced with permission of Knowetop Primary School.
The work created by the pupils, along with the lesson plans, has been made freely available via the Forged by Fire resources website (https://forged-by-fire.wixsite.com/home). These are free to use to engage young people in researching their own local fire histories, developing active citizenship and better understanding the important work by firefighters today, as well as in the past. The project is rooted in educational pedagogy that advocates creative learning as a fun and interactive way to raise awareness about the dangers of fire and burns. It also helps to widen the reach of the Red Plaque scheme, offering a model for future initiatives to work alongside young people in researching and sharing the stories of sacrifice and bravery that dominate the history of the fire service.
Photo: pupils and grown-ups made pledges to make positive changes to their behaviour at the end of the workshops. Reproduced with permission of Knowetop Primary School.
We would like to thank everyone involved in this project, not least Miss Tham and her pupils at Knowetop Primary. Some of the archival records were supplied by volunteers at the Scottish Fire Brigades Heritage Trust as well as the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage. Dr Aaron Andrews (University of Leicester) created the learning packs for the workshops and that are now available online. Thanks also to Seona Hart (Regional Treasurer, FBU) and Gary Tudhope (Watch Commander) for their organisational flair.
The ceremony will take place at Motherwell fire station at 11am on Wednesday, 11th January 2023.
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