James Braidwood
Appointed Master of Fire Engines at the age of 24, two months prior to the Great Fire of Edinburgh, Braidwood established principles of fire-fighting that are still applied today. His training as a surveyor gave him exceptional knowledge of the behaviour of building materials and housing conditions in the Old Town of Edinburgh.
He recruited to the fire service expert tradesmen – slaters, carpenters, masons and plumbers, who could apply their various fields of expertise to fire fighting. He also recruited experienced mariners for an occupation that required heavy manual work in hauling engines and trundling wheeled escape ladders up and down steep streets.
His many original ideas of practical organisation and methodology, regarded as one of the first textbooks on the science of fire engineering and published in 1830, were adopted throughout Britain. In 1833 he left Edinburgh to lead the London Fire Engine Establishment. The London Fire Engine Establishment had to fight a blaze at the Palace of Westminster, on 16 October 1834, that destroyed almost all of the Palace.
Braidwood used technological innovations to his advantage. He outfitted the London brigade with top-of-the-line fire apparatus. He implemented military scaling ladders for multi-story access. He introduced hand-pumps at dock-yards, small pumps for his brigade so they could more easily extinguish small fires, and floating fire engines for large waterfront fires. Throughout his tenure, he continued to be an advocate for fire protection, and he regularly lobbied Parliament for fire protection measures.
On 22 June 1861, Braidwood was tragically killed in the Tooley Street fire, at Cotton's Wharf, when a falling wall crushed him, three hours after the fire began. His heroism led to a massive funeral on 29 June in which the funeral cortege stretched 1.5 miles behind the hearse, a public spectacle almost equal to the fire itself. The fire continued to burn for two weeks and caused considerable damage to the area.
The funeral for James Braidwood.
The pedestal memorial for James Braidwood and family is located near the Church Street entance. Thanks to generous funding from the Company of Worshipful Fire Fighters, this Grade !! heritage listed memorial is able to be restored. Restoration will be completed by June 2026, in time for the annual commemoration and remembrance service held by the family and local fire fighting service personnel.