William Carnegie

Leading Fireman William Carnegie fell from a roof at a fire in Dundee on Thursday June 14th and died on Sunday July 8th 1962.

Crowd sees fireman crash from roof

Was due to go on holiday today

A crowd of onlookers at a fire in an old tenement at 58 Mains Road, Dundee, late yesterday afternoon stood horror-struck as a fireman crashed 30 feet from the roof.
The fire-fighter, Leading Fireman William Carnegie (44), is in Dundee Royal Infirmary with broken wrists and severe head injuries. Last night his condition was said to be critical.
Leading Fireman Carnegie, based at the Northern Fire Station, lives at 2 Dryburgh Gardens. He, his wife and 17 year-old son were to have gone off on a Norfolk Broads sailing holiday today.
The fire, a small one, was in the roof of a dormer attic window in the two-storey tenement building. The fire brigade was called shortly before five o’clock.
Frame gave way
Leading Fireman Carnegie was one of the men who forced their way into the unoccupied attic home of Mrs Mary Coupland. She is at present in hospital.
He was climbing out of the dormer window to investigate the damage to the slated roof when the window frame apparently gave way.
Mr Carnegie fell back, tried to save himself on the guttering, but landed face down on the pavement. Wreckage from the window clattered around him as colleagues dashed to his assistance.
An emergency call for an ambulance was flashed over a fire engine radio.
Helmet came off
The fall was seen by workmen from Bowbridge Works (Jute Industries, Ltd.) and women and children.
Sixty year old Robert Cunningham, 18 Craighill Place, Dundee, is a porter at the works, which is across the street from the scene of the accident.
“The fireman took out part of the attic window, and then went out of the window. He stood up to take hold of the top, but the metal gave way.
“His helmet came off as he fell. He didn’t even have time to shout,” said Mr Cunningham.
Eighteen year old David Thom, 15 Downie Park, and Dorothy Allan (16), 44 Symers Street, had been making a delivery to the D.P.M. dairy nearby.
Climbed out
David described the scene — “Smoke was coming out of the roof and the fireman removed part of the window and climbed out onto the slates. He grabbed the metal supports of the window to pull himself up, but they came away in his hands.
“As he toppled backwards be tried to grab hold of the gutter but couldn’t, and he just tumbled down to the pavement. His helmet came off as he fell.”
People living near the scene of the fire had smelt smoke for host of the afternoon but they bad dismissed it as a chimney fire. It is thought a spark had set old wood in the roof smouldering.
The fire itself was so small that the firemen put it out using a hosereel. The roof around the window was badly damaged.
Wife told
The news of the accident was broken to Leading Fireman Carnegie’s wife shortly after she’d finished work in the personnel section of James Keiller & Son, Ltd.
Their 17-year-old son is a pupil at Harris Academy.
Last night Mrs Carnegie was at the home of Divisional Officer L Wilkie, third-in-command of the Angus Area Fire Brigade. Firemaster John Jackson was out of town, and Deputy Firemaster A. Jones on leave.
Amazing escape
Mrs Carnegie was being comforted by her brother-in-law, Fireman Harry Anderson. Two months ago he and a colleague had an amazing escape in the jute warehouse fire which killed Divisional Officer John Buist.
Fireman Anderson was trapped by falling bales, and had to be pulled to safety through a hole battered in a corrugated iron wall.
(The Dundee Courier and Advertiser, Friday, June 15, 1962. Page 6.)

Fireman dies: he fell from attic window

<PHOTO> William Carnegie (head and shoulders)
Leading Fireman William Carnegie, of Angus Area Fire Brigade at Dundee, died yesterday in the Royal Infirmary.
He sustained head injuries and broken wrists when he fell 30 feet from the roof of a two storey tenement at 58 Mains Road on June 14.
He was 44, and lived at 3 Dryburgh Gardens, Lochee, in one of the multi-storey flats.
He is survived by his wife and their 17 year old son.
Leading Fireman Carnegie, a motor engineer to trade, joined the fire force in 1946, after was service in the Scots Guards.
He did a great deal of good work for the handicapped members of the Hawthorn Swimming Club. One of his colleagues said rarely a week passed without his attendance at the baths to instruct them.
Leading Fireman Carnegie’s accident occurred following a call to a dormer attic fire. He was climbing out of the window to investigate damage to the roof when the window frame apparently gave way.
In April Divisional Officer John J Buist lost his life in the jute warehouse blaze at W. G. Grant and Co., Ltd., Constitution Street, Dundee.
(The Courier and Advertiser, Monday, July 9, 1962. Page 3)

Death

CARNEGIE – At D. R. I., on July 8, 1962 as the result of an accident William M. S. Carnegie, dearly beloved husband of Elizabeth B. Anderson, of 3 Dryburgh Gardens, Lochee. Deeply regretted. Funeral service today (Tuesday), 3-30p.m., at St. Andrew’s Parish Church, King Street; thereafter to Crematorium, arriving 4-25p.m. All friends invited.
(The Courier and Advertiser, Tuesday, July 10, 1962. Page 12)

Last tribute to Fireman W. Carnegie

Fire officers and men from many parts of the country attended the funeral in Dundee yesterday of Leading Fireman William Carnegie, of Angus Fire Brigade.
Fireman Carnegie died in the Royal Infirmary on Sunday from injuries received when he fell 30 feet from a Mains Road tenement while investigating a fire on June 14.
Several hundred people, many with children, watched outside St Andrew’s Church, where the funeral service was held.
The Rev. T. R. S. Campbell conducted the simple service, and the flower laden coffin was borne to the waiting hearse by six firemen from the Angus area stations at which Fireman Carnegie had served.
Deputy Firemaster A. J. Jones preceded the coffin carrying Fireman Carnegie’s helmet and axe.

His own station

As it drove up Strathmore Avenue, to the Crematorium, the cortege passed the Northern Station, Fireman Carnegie’s own station. Drawn up outside were the Northern’s machines with crews at attention.
To enable as many Dundee firemen as possible to attend the funeral, the services of the Perth and Kinross Brigade were made available.
Among the mourners were: Mr A. D. Wilson, H.M. Inspector of Fire Services for Scotland; Mr D. A. Palmer, commandant of the Central Scotland training school; Firemaster A. Masson, Perth; Firemaster W. Woods, Aberdeen; Deputy Firemaster A. Simpson, Fife; D.O. Chisholm, Inverness; Assistant Firemaster W. Scott, South Eastern area.
There were also detachments of officers and men from the brigades of the Western area; Central area; Lanarkshire and the South Eastern area. Glasgow and the South Western area brigades were able to send representatives and sent letters of sympathy.

A fire

After the Crematorium service the fire brigade mourners returned to the North Station and hardly had they arrived when the alarm bells rang.
Crews leaped into their machines and were off to investigate a fire at 58 Coupar Street.
(The Courier and Advertiser, Wednesday, July 11, 1962. Page 3)

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