FAMILY AFFAIR
The Melville Family
James Melville
Was born in 1861 and
came to Gourock in 1874 where in 1881 he joined the Fire Brigade. He was
promoted to first hand in 1908. He resigned as Assistant Firemaster on the 31st
December 1921 and in the following January he was presented with a silver Long
Service Medal for forty one years faithful service. He died on the 3rd
of February 1940. James Melville had three sons Thomas, William and James as
well as two daughters.
Thomas I R Melville BEM
Was appointed as a
temporary member of the Fire Brigade in March 1919. He resigned on the 31st
December 1921. In February 1924 Thomas Melville accepted the appointment of
second driver of the Fire Engine and Ambulance wagon. He was awarded a medal for
fifteen years service in December 1923 and on the 24th November 1934
he accepted the post of Firemaster. He was appointed to the rank of Section
Leader in the National Fire Service. On the 1st of June 1943 Section
Leader T. I. R. Melville was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s
Birthday Honors list. Section Leader Melville now appointed Company Officer and
stationed at Campbell Street, Greenock. Sub Officer T. I. R. Melville was
awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in October 1955 after 35 years
service.
William C Melville BEM
Attended his first fire
on the 20th November 1914 and in 1923 he attended the Ashton Fire. On
the 9th November 1934 he was appointed as fireman Number 1 and by
December he was Deputy Firemaster. In January 1946 he was a Leading Fireman in
the National Fire Service and by August he was the Section Leader (Retained).
Sub Officer W. Melville (retained) was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct
Medal in October 1955 after 41 years service. He retired after 49 years service
in March 1963.
James Melville
James Melville Junior
was appointed as a fireman on the 31st December 1915. In 1923 he was
an assistant. He must have left as he was engaged as an Auxiliary fireman on the
7th December 1937. By April 1946 he held the rank of Leading Fireman
and was last mentioned in a Station Log on the 3rd of January 1949.
Jimmy Melville
The son of William
Melville he joined the Fire Brigade in the 1956. In 1963 he was a Leading
Fireman and was promoted to Sub Officer in charge of the station in 1967. After
Strathclyde Fire Brigade was formed he was promoted to Station Officer as
Strathclyde brought in a policy that officers in charge of two pump stations
were to be Station Officers. He retired on age in September 1986 after 30 years
of service. Jimmy was the last in the line of Melville’s at Gourock Fire Station
as neither of his two sons have joined the brigade. (2007)
The Collins Family
Jim Collins arrived in Gourock
in 1910 from a village on the outskirts of Greenwich as his father was in the
advance party to establish the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory at Fort Matilda. He
had various jobs before he got a job in the Burgh Yard as the Burgh Engineer
with the Gourock Corporation on the 19th January 1942 where he worked
for 25 years retiring as the Burgh Engineer on Tuesday 31st January,
1967. Jim Collins joined the Auxiliary Fire Service in Gourock in 1938. At a
meeting of the Fire Brigade Sub Committee of Gourock Town Council on the 20th
of June 1940 his application to become a member of the regular part-time Fire
Brigade was submitted and accepted. He was promoted to the rank of Leading
Fireman in 1949 and in March of 1963 Jim Collins was promoted to Sub Officer in
charge of the Gourock Retained Unit, a post he held until his retrial in 1967.
His younger son Tom who stayed in Royal Street was an engineer for the then Post
Office Telephones, joined the retained unit in 1965 and rose through the ranks
to become Station Officer in charge of the unit in 1987, a post he held until
1997 when he had to retire on age.
Jim Collin’s oldest son also called Jim, who also worked as the Burgh Engineer
in the Gourock Town Council Yard in Royal Street, joined the retained unit in
1967 as a fireman and retired in 1992 as a Leading Firefighter.
Tom has three sons and Jim one but so far none of them have shown an interest in
joining the Brigade.
(2006)