Glen Picturs mishanter

The plaque added bi Renfrewshire Cooncil

The plaque added bi the Film Cooncil

The Glen Picturs Mishanter wis caused bi a smeukin film mill in a picturs in Paisley, Scotland on 31 December 1929. The affcomin hysteria an brousle killt 69 bairns an bemangit 40; the feenal deith towl wis 71. It is conseeder't ane o Scotland's warst human mishanters.

Events

The Glen picturs wis appent in 1901, than kent as ‘The Glen’ an ‘The Royal Animated Pictures’. (The Ryal Animatit Picturs)

On the efternoon o 31 December 1929, in a bairn's matinee, a fresh shawn film wis pit in its metal can, in the spool room, wheaur it begoud tae issue thick black smeuk. Nitrocellulose film, awhit wis whit wis uisit at this time, can birn on its ain wi-oot needin ony plenish o air. Whan an helpender film operator spattit the smeuk comin fra a film conteener, he ettled tae smoother the flammable film but the mill sprang appen an smeuk an fumes entered the haw. Suin the smeuk fillt the auditorium conteenin aboot ane thousan bairns. Hysteria set in. Bairns ran dounstairs sae fest an in sic nummers that thay piled up ahind the evite door whit led tae Dyers Wynd. The door couldna be apppent, as it was designed tae appen inwart an wis hingin-lockit. The follaeing day, Paisley wis donnert bi the news that seventy bairns haed deed in the brouslie in the warst picturs mishanter in Scots an Breetish history.

An inquiry wis haudit in Edinburgh on 29 Aprile 1930 in whit it wis kythed that the picturs haed been leukit at an pronooncit sauf bi the Paisley fire brigade on the mornin of the fire. The awner, James Graham, haed, hounaiver, greed that thare werena eneuch exits, but claim't that he haed said ower tae the heid bummer, Charles Dorward, that the evite exits werena tae be shut while thare are matinee performances. The heid bummer yieldit that the exit gates haed bytimes been lockit to prevene bairns frae enterin the picturs wi-out peyin. A polisman that win at the scene juist efter the fire stairtit reportit that the gates wer hingin-lockit; hounaiver, anither witness confirmed that she haed seen Dorward unlock thaim. It remeen't unclear as taewhy the gates haed been hingin-lockit but thare was a suggestion that it haed been duin bi two lads. The conclusion o the inquiry wis that the fire haed been stairtit bi a short circuit whan a metal box conteenin film stock haed been pit on tap o a battery in the projection room. The tragedy haed been made warse bi the leemitit nummer o exits, no eneuch servants an ower-croudin.

The neist day, the brakin news wis aboot the tragedy. Hounaiver, the irony wis thare wis nae actual or veesible fire.

Interestin-ly, the biggin whit hoosit the Glen Picturs is still staundin an nou hooses a furniture fordel.

An alleviation fund for the bemangit bairns an twyned paurents raised £5,300: Paisley Toun Cooncil offer't thaim a week's haliday at the shore.

On the 31st December 2009, tae merk the 80th anniversary o the tragedy, a memorial service wis conductit bi Philip Tartaglia an his collogues at the Cenotapy. Survivors forgaithert tae mynd the bairns that lost thair lives on 31st December 1929. The wreaths were lain bi ane o the survivors, Emily Brown, that wis 5 year auld on that day (31st December 1929). Syne than the memorial service haes become an annual event.

Impact

The cinema haid bummer wis put on trial for wyte wirthy homicide but wis fund no guilty.

Safety regulations were tichten in the wauk o the mishanter; mony municipal authorities made inspections o picturs compulsitor. The Cinematograph Act 1909 was amendit tae mak siccar that picturs haed mair exits, that doors appened ootwird an that they were fittit wi push baurs. A leemitation wis placed on the seatin capacity o picturs an aw.

Artefacts

A smaw ootset is at Paisley Museum whit haes some airticles on the mishanter, a receipt for a funeral, a pair o shaes, and a hat. Thare are letters sent to the Provost o Paisley frae ither ceevic leaders an aw, baith in the UK, Europe an frae the USA. Some o the mair poignant letters are frae weemen that were no able tae keep thair ain bairns, offerin thaim tae the devastatit faimilies o Paisley.

In 2005, a team o archaeologists airt oot the Glen Picturs burit ahind the waws o a furniture shop in Paisley's toun centre.

See an aw

• Leet o mishanters o the Unitit Kinrick an precedin states

Freemit airtins

• Glen Cinema Wabsted (Inglis) Archived 2010-09-07 at the Wayback Machine
• The Paisley Cinema Disaster (Inglis)