About ten o’clock on the morning of Monday 20th August 1923, fire broke out in the pattern store at the Blantyre Engineering Company’s works at Forrest Street.

By the time the fire brigade had arrived from Cambuslang, the store and valuable patterns it contained were practically gutted. The flames rapidly spread to the pitched glass roof and the moulding shop adjoining. The firemen succeeded in confining the outbreak to this portion of the works, which still suffered considerably. The damage was estimated between £4,000 and £5,000. The cause of the outbreak was never published, perhaps left unknown.

This amazingly clear photo from 1922, shows the Blantyre men who worked in the Engineering Works and many of them would have been there, the day of the fire a year later. I’ve zoomed in on the faces, just in case there are some fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers in there. With thanks to Gordon Cook for sharing this photo.

1922 Blantyre Engineering Works

Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said,

Margo Clayton My grandfather, Alex Inglis, worked there and in the late 1930’s, my mum, Mary Bowie, trained there as a tracer.

Blantyre Project There were 2 Alex Inglis in the mid 1930’s in Blantyre. The first, a miner living at ‘Bloomfield’ at 203 Glasgow Road, the other more likely your grandfather, an engineer living at 108 Craig Street, not a big walk at all to the factory.

Blantyre Project Mary Fleming Inglis, marrying William Bowie in 1950.

Margo Clayton Craig street is correct. Before he married, he lived in Dalveen, Glasgow Road. Moved to Craig street in 1928. My gran lived there until 1982. A lovely house with a large garden. He had a motorbike and sidecar and built a small caravan that he pulled with the motor bike! It was so small it had a pull out section for your feet when you went to bed! Don’t think you would be able to do that today! Mary Inglis was my mother and did marry William Bowie.

Mary Sitters My grandpa John Lyden worked at the Blantyre Engineering works. Am almost sure his photo is in the last of the blown up photos. Must check it with my sister Irene Scott Smith. Thank you.

David Baillie My great grandfather Archibald Baillie died while at the works of a pulmonary heamorhge. Also my dad worked there as well David Baillie.