A photograph of the Glasgow Salvage Corps outside their headquarters in North Albion Street on 21 April 1891. Local insurance companies, concerned about losses in serious fires in the city, set up the corps in November 1873. The corps' officers were responsible for inspecting buildings to identify fire risks, and they attended fires alongside the regular fire service in order to salvage the contents of buildings damaged by fire.
The corps' first headquarters were in Nicholas Street and the organisation initially consisted of one superintendent, one foreman, one deputy, five men and one horse-drawn trap. In November 1891 the corps introduced a new system of inspection. An inspector would inspect premises for fire hazards and if his instructions for the removal of a hazard were not addressed after three written warnings, then the insurance premium would be increased.
Reference: TD 338/23/19
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
fires, Glasgow Rate and Salvage Association, Glasgow Salvage Corps, horse-drawn carriages, insurance companies, salvage carts, salvagemen, uniforms
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