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Captain William Manson from Thurso became a hero in the aftermath of the Silvertown Explosion


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Thurso's Heritage by a Thirsa Loon

The aftermath from the explosion with an inset of Captain William Manson.
The aftermath from the explosion with an inset of Captain William Manson.

This month marks the 104th anniversary of one of the great tragedies that shocked the country and in which one Thursonian played a little-known lifesaving role.

During World War I, ammunition supplies quickly dwindled as Britain was unprepared for a prolonged conflict. One site the Ministry of Munitions used for ammunition production was the Brunner Mond chemical works, Crescent Wharf, Silvertown. For the first 14 months, work continued with no significant mishaps.

But on Friday, January 19, 1917, a fire started in the melt-pot room of the munition’s factory around seven o’clock. Many of the men in the factory escaped before the factory, containing 50 tonnes of TNT, exploded in what would become known as the Silvertown Explosion.

It caused extensive damage, killing 73 people (69 immediately, and four later from their injuries) and injuring 500 more – these figures are considered as an underestimation. Over 900 houses were destroyed, 70,000 badly damaged, leaving thousands homeless.

Massive steel girders, white-hot from the heat, flew in various directions from the force of the explosion. Bricks from destroyed buildings littered the ground and debris was strewn for miles around, with red-hot chunks of rubble falling from the sky causing fires.

The shock waves were so powerful, they were felt throughout the city; the blast heard from 100 miles away with the red glow in the sky seen for miles around.

Among the rescuers fighting through the carnage was Thurso’s William Manson, a captain in the Salvation Army. Manson had served his time as a grocer with William Bruce, Traill Street. He later moved to Edinburgh, where he was employed by the Maypole Dairy Company, eventually entering the Salvation Army College training for officership.

When the explosion occurred, Captain Manson was in his quarters, and at once rushed off straight into the carnage. He had not gone far before he came across a fireman who had been thrown for a considerable distance. He was conscious enough to tell Manson he had injured his shoulder.

The captain – who was a certificated first-aid man – ripped up the man’s coat sleeve and found that his shoulder was dislocated. The ambulance arriving just then, the captain lifted the fireman into it.

He continued his efforts to help anyone he could, and a little further along, he heard screams coming from a house which had been totally wrecked. Scrambling over the ruins into what remained of the kitchen, he found a mother and two babies buried in the debris.

“Where is my Geordie? Oh, save my babies first!” cried the desperate mother. After considerable difficulty, he dug out the children and sent them off in an ambulance. With help, he then set to work to get out the woman, but found that a vast beam was pinning her down under the debris.

After three-quarters of an hour’s work, which included sawing through the beam, she was released from the wreckage. Even with one foot blown off, and her other leg severely crushed, the brave woman’s only concern was “Are my babies hurt?”

The last help that I know Manson provided was when he supervised and assisted in the digging out of two other children, tragically only to find that they were already dead. I would be very interested to know if there are any descendants of William’s.

  • To get in touch about Thurso's Heritage, email thursoheritage1@gmail.com

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