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Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw KCB (17 January 1830 – 25 August 1908) was the first Chief Officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (now renamed the
London Fire Brigade The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the Fire department, fire and rescue service for London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It was formed by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865 (28 & 29 Vict. c. 90), under the leadership of superintendent ...
), and the Superintendent of its predecessor, the London Fire Engine Establishment, from 1861 to 1891. He introduced modern firefighting methods to the Brigade, and increased the number of stations. Prior to entering firefighting, Shaw was in the British Army, followed by a spell as Chief Constable of Belfast Borough Police.


Early life

Shaw was born in Ballymore,
County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
, Ireland and was educated first at a school in the nearby town of
Cobh Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. With a population of 14,148 inhabitants at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, Cobh is on the south si ...
, and then at
Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...
where he graduated in 1847. Shaw was originally set on taking
holy orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...
to become a priest, but following his degree, he decided to travel to the United States. He travelled for four- to five years, and in that time witnessed a number of large fires and the techniques being used at that time to fight them. This started a fascination with firefighting that would last for the rest of his life.


Career


Militia

Shaw returned to Ireland in 1854, where he gained a commission in the North Cork Rifles, a
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
regiment (later the 9th Battalion,
King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United Sta ...
). He also married within the year a Portuguese lady from Lisbon. They had two sons; the first named after his father. During his period of service, he reached the rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
.


Belfast police

In 1860
Belfast Corporation Belfast City Council () is the local authority with responsibility for part of Belfast, the largest city of Northern Ireland. The council serves an estimated population of (), the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while bein ...
advertised for someone to be the superintendent of both police and fire services for the city, and Shaw submitted his CV for consideration. Despite not being experienced or qualified for the job, he was awarded the position and moved to Belfast to take up the role of Inspector of Belfast Borough Police and Director of the fire Brigade in June 1860, on a salary of £300 a year, resigning his army position. His appointment was regarded as successful both on policing and firefighting. He was credited with quelling rioting between Catholics and Protestants whilst maintaining the respect of both, as well as transforming a poorly organised fire service, including making extensive recommendations for modernisation of equipment and practices.


Move to London

In September 1861, the head of London's insurance company fire service, the London Fire Engine Establishment, James Braidwood, was killed in the line of duty while fighting a massive fire in Tooley Street. The position was advertised, and Shaw was engaged, despite having only a little over a year's experience of managing a brigade. In 1865, Parliament passed the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act, placing responsibility for fire protection in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (combining the former London Fire Engine Establishment and the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire), to be supervised by the
Metropolitan Board of Works The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the upper tier of local government for London between 1856 and 1889, primarily responsible for upgrading infrastructure. It also had a parks and open spaces committee which set aside and opened up severa ...
. Shaw headed the new brigade. Shaw was an influential thinker on firefighting, publishing at least seven books on the subject. He is noted for his introduction of uniforms and the famous brass helmets (c. 1868), and for introducing a ranking system. He also introduced the use of the
electrical telegraph Electrical telegraphy is point-to-point distance communicating via sending electric signals over wire, a system primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecommunications system and the most wid ...
for communication between stations (c. 1867), and stand pipes and fire hydrants. As London grew during the late 19th century, Shaw expanded the number of fire stations. In 1861, the LFEE had comprised 17 land and two river stations and 129 men; when he retired 30 years later, the brigade's estate comprised 55 land and four river stations, 127 street escape and hose-cart stations, 675 personnel and 131 horses. Sloping floors in fire stations allowed engines to move out more easily ('on the run', a term still used today). Under his leadership, he also procured steam fire engines, contacting the main manufacturers,
Merryweather & Sons Merryweather & Sons of Clapham, later Greenwich, London, were builders of steam Fire apparatus, fire engines and steam tram engines. The founder was Moses Merryweather (1791–1872) of Clapham, who was joined by his son Richard Moses (1839–187 ...
and Shand Mason, and working with them to develop an engine which could be pulled by two horses and produce several jets at high pressure (on average, 300 gallons of water per minute). When the Fire Brigade was taken over by the
London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...
in 1889, he disagreed with the administration and resigned in 1891. He was knighted by
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
on his last day of service. Shaw died at Folkestone on 25 August 1908 and is buried in the east side of
Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...
.


Following fire service

After his resignation from the fire service, Shaw became managing director of the Palatine Insurance Company and chairman of the Metropolitan Electricity Board. He was later made Deputy Lieutenant of Middlesex.


Theatre fire safety

In his work with the Fire Engine Establishment and later the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Shaw became most concerned with the fire safety of theatres. Theatres were frequent sources of fire, with combustible scenery covered in oil paints in close proximity to naked flame gas lamps. Such was his concern, that in 1876, he published the book ''Fires in Theatres'', setting out some of the risks and methods specific to theatres. He was particularly concerned with the lack of regulation and control in the sector. In 1887, the devastating Exeter Theatre Royal fire claimed the lives of 186 people, and Shaw was appointed to conduct a parliamentary inquiry (with a jury) and to report back. The jury of 21 returned a verdict of accidental death. Shaw submitted his report to the government on 29 September 1887, and in it he placed the blame firmly with the architect, Phipps. Phipps defended himself from the blame, deflecting to the fact that a number of changes had been made during construction from the designs that he proposed. This proved to be the catalyst for action, and gradually regulations were tightened.


Published works

Shaw published a number of books: * Fires and Fire Brigades * Fire Protection: A complete manual * Fire Surveys: A summary of the principles to be observed in estimating the risk of buildings * Instructions for the use and management of Fire escapes and the rescue of life from fire * Instructions concerning Branches and Nozzles * Fire in Theatres * Instructions concerning air and water


Cultural influence and legacy

Shaw was a well-known socialite and a personal friend of the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
(later
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
). A firefighting outfit was always kept ready at
Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...
Fire Station in case the Royal heir chose to firefight. Shaw is best remembered today as the "Captain Shaw" to whom the Fairy Queen in
Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...
's ''
Iolanthe ''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...
'' addresses herself, " … In that we gain/A Captain Shaw!/(Aside.)Oh, Captain Shaw!/Type of true love kept under!/Could thy Brigade/With cold cascade/Quench my great love, I wonder!" a reference to Shaw's popularity with certain aristocratic ladies of the town. Shaw was present in the stalls at the first night of ''Iolanthe'' in 1882, and
Alice Barnett Alice Barnett (17 May 1846 – 14 April 1901) was an English singer and actress, best known for her performances in contralto roles of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Barnett began her career by 1873 in ...
, playing the Fairy Queen, addressed herself directly to him. Legend has it that he stood up and took a bow. In 1886 Shaw was named in an adultery lawsuit involving
Lady Colin Campbell Georgia Arianna Campbell, Lady Colin Campbell (née Ziadie; born 17 August 1949), also known as Lady C, is a White Jamaicans, British Jamaican author, socialite, and television personality who has published seven unauthorised books about the Br ...
who was sitting next to Shaw at the Iolanthe premiere. In conjunction with professor
John Tyndall John Tyndall (; 2 August 1820 – 4 December 1893) was an Irish physicist. His scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he made discoveries in the realms of infrared radiation and the physical properties of air ...
of the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, Shaw designed a fire respirator for the use of his firefighters. The London brigade's 1935 fireboat was named '' Massey Shaw'' in his honour. Winchester House, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Fire brigade in
Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
, which also included a residence for Shaw, later became the London Fire Brigade Museum (now closed); an
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
Blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
still adorns the building and states that Shaw lived there.


References


External links

*
The Fireboat ''Massey Shaw''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Eyre Massey 1830 births 1908 deaths Chief Officers of the London Fire Brigade People from County Cork British Militia officers King's Royal Rifle Corps officers Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Irish police chiefs Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath British Chief Constables Burials at Highgate Cemetery Deputy lieutenants of Middlesex London Fire Brigade personnel