Scotland's first 'fire dog' is honoured with statue

For several years he was a familiar sight on the streets of Glasgow, racing towards blazes just ahead of the city's firemen.

Now Scotland's first ever "fire dog" - a setter-collie called Wallace - has been honoured in the city with a statue, 104 years after he died.

Wallace was taken in by firemen at the Central Fire Station in 1894 after he followed a horse-drawn engine taking part in a lifeboat demonstration, and became well-known around the city.

The new statue is at Glasgow Central railway station, following several years of campaigning by Possilpark woman Jean Dallas.

Wallace was most famous for running about 20 or 30 yards in front of horse-drawn fire appliances as they made their way to emergencies, taking direction from a coachman.

He would then sit next to the tethered horses, guarding them until the men returned.

The bond he had with the firemen was such that they paid to have him embalmed after his death in 1902.

Legend states that his heroic reputation grew to such an extent that he was once gifted a set of rubber boots to protect his paws by an elderly woman who saw him limping due to stone sets in the road.

Allegedly he only wore them once, as he promptly lost two of the four boots on the way back from a call-out.

After being embalmed and encased, he sat "on guard" in the foyer of the North Glasgow fire service headquarters at Cowcaddens and then at the Strathclyde Fire Brigade headquarters in Hamilton, before moving to a fire service museum in Greenock.

The boots form part of the new sculpture at Central Station, which Jean Dallas hopes will help introduce his story to a new generation.

She first became aware of the fire-fighting pooch in 2017, following a trip to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Heritage Centre and Museum in Greenock - where Wallace remains encased and on display.

Jean, 81, told BBC Scotland News: "I just fell in love with the story and thought we needed to get him back home to Glasgow.

"I did a lot of fundraising, everything from making tablet to doing arts and crafts, and the money went towards this (the statue).

"He had a lot of courage, he helped people and was brave. It's a great story."

Jean even raised money while abroad, after telling other holidaymakers about the story of Wallace.

A variety of groups came together to work on the sculpture, with Jean fundraising for a plinth.

People in custody at HM Prison Barlinnie stepped forward to sculpt the artwork, which eventually found a home at Central Station after Network Rail heard the story of Wallace.

The tune I Belong To Glasgow was played on bagpipes as Wallace's statue was unveiled on Tuesday.

City of Glasgow Group Commander Craig Campbell represented the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service at the unveiling.

He said: "Wallace is a local and fire service legend, and this is a fitting celebration of his life and another reminder of the proud history the service shares with Glasgow."

Mick Stoney, the governor of HMP Barlinnie, added the prisoners involved in the meeting had taken great pride "in bringing an important piece of Glasgow's history to life" through the statue.

Support for the new statue also came from other sources, including the social landlord ng Homes.