Sir Eyre Massey Shaw - Southwark Bridge Road, London, UK
N 51° 30.156 W 000° 05.874
30U E 701411 N 5709711
This blue plaque is in honour of Sir Eyre Massey Shaw the first Chief Fire Officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.
Waymark Code: WMEARR
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/29/2012
Views: 2
The plaque is on the east wall of Winchester
House that houses the London Fire Brigade Museum. The building is set back from
Southwark Bridge Road from where the plaque can be seen in the museum is closed.
The plaque reads:
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English Heritage
Sir
Eyre Massey
Shaw
1830-1908
First Chief Officer of
the Metropolitan
Fire Brigade
lived here
1878-1891
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The London Fire Brigade website (visit
link) tells us of Shaw and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade:
"Metropolitan Fire Brigade
In 1862 insurance companies told the government that they were unwilling to be
responsible for London’s fire protection as the cost of compensation was
becoming too high. The government decided that the Metropolitan Board of Works
would take control.
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) was formed in 1866 and was controlled by the
Metropolitan Board of Works, who was responsible for protecting all life and
property from fire throughout London.
Chief Officer Captain Shaw
Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw took over the Brigade after James Braidwood died,
and changed it significantly. He established a new rank system and uniform,
built new fire stations and employed new technology to improve the service.
Shaw was well known throughout society for the work he was doing. He was friends
with the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) who enjoyed being taken out to
the scene of large fires.
In 1889 the London County Council was formed and took away Shaw’s sole control
over the Brigade. After 30 years of service he retired in 1891.
Advances in Victorian firefighting
During Shaw’s service he used new technology to improve firefighting. He bought
steam fire engines which could pump 300 gallons of water a minute. They were
well equipped for putting out fires, as long as the boilers were kept warm
enough to raise the steam.
Before 1879 a messenger was the only way to inform stations of fires. Shaw had
40 fire alarms erected throughout London and started using the telegraph system,
which speeded up the response to fires.
Basic breathing apparatus was also introduced allowing firemen to enter fires
without inhaling the smoke. It relied on bellows, an air pump and a filter but
was dangerous because the air pipes could accidentally get caught or cut.
Life as a Victorian fireman
Massey Shaw would only recruit sailors as he believed that after a seaman’s
training they would have learnt discipline and be strong and hardy. They were
tested for their strength and health and spent three months at training school
before joining a station.
Life as a Victorian fireman was hard. They worked long hours, day and night,
lived at the fire station and were paid low wages with no pension.
Victorian theatre fires
Theatre fires were very common in Victorian times because of the gas lamps used
to light the stage. In 1881/82 Shaw was requested to conduct an inspection of
theatres and make recommendations for their protection.
Just after finishing his report, the Alhambra Theatre burnt down and as one of
the walls collapsed it killed two of Shaw’s men and nearly killed the Prince of
Wales.
Shaw’s article Fires in Theatres recommended that all walls in theatres should
be of strong construction, that there should be enough exits for people to
escape, and that theatres should have a good water supply. He also devised the
theatre fire curtain (still in use today) which would be made of metal and if a
fire started it could divide the theatre from the auditorium."