Five firemen injured in Glasgow’s £1million blaze

MAR 12, 1972

FIVE firemen were injured in a massive blaze in Glasgow which ravaged a block of stores in the Gallowgate area of the city.

The front four storeys of the building on Watson Street collapsed, showering the firefighters with rubble.

One was taken to hospital with a serious back injury while four others suffered cuts and bruises.

It is thought the blaze spread so rapidly because of the amount of clothes stored in the building.

A neighbouring camping shop also went up in flames – causing a blast when gas canisters exploded.

Huge clouds of dark smoke meant visibility on nearby roads was down do only a few yards, causing traffic jams across the city.

Twenty-five fire engines attended the blaze and repairs were estimated at a staggering £1 million. Teachers rejected a new pay deal. The offer of a 7% wage rise was knocked back by the teaching union who said pay had been “run down” for several years.

Two brave schoolboys battled a blaze at a stable – and missed their football team play a vital match.

Dunfermline fans Douglas Henderson and Peter Robertson, both 13, were walking by a farm on their way to see their team take on Hibs when they saw smoke billowing from a stable.

The pair ran to the farmhouse but, when they couldn’t find anyone, fought the blaze themselves.

The Church of Scotland introduced tougher tests for selecting ministers. The church had decided to introduce tougher selection rules – including psychological tests.

The Aberdeen oil bonanza spread to Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides as Shell, Mobil and Total were moving into water around the islands.

Surveys in the waters beneath the surrounding seas showed there was more oil to be drilled and Shell alone were planning four more rigs to extract it.

Nearly 1,500 patients in Aberfoyle were left without a GP because of a council blunder.

A family doctor had moved his practice to the area but his plans to build a house were rejected thanks to council red tape.

The doctor decided to leave, meaning residents had no GP.