A Glasgow firefighter killed in one of the city’s worst peacetime tragedies is among the first recipients of a new royal award honoring public servants killed in the line of duty.

William Crockett was one of 14 people who died following a fire at his whiskey shop on Cheapside Street in March 1960.

Her son, William Cruickshank, will receive the newly created Elizabethan Emblem in her memory from King Charles at a ceremony later this year.

Named after the late Queen Elizabeth II. Named after Elizabeth, the award is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, awarded to military personnel killed in action.

Almost 500 firefighters were called to extinguish the Cheapside Street fire in the Anderston area on the evening of March 28, 1960.

In that case, The building contained approximately 4.5 million liters of whiskey and more than 140,000 liters of rum.

Mr Crockett was among those who responded to the scene. He died when an explosion caused the 20 meters (60 ft) high walls of the vineyard to collapse onto the street below.

Falling walls instantly killed three firefighters in Cheapside Street and 11 firefighters and fire rescue workers who were battling the flames at the rear of the building in Warroch Street.

It would expand to a nearby tobacco warehouse, an ice cream factory, and the Harland and Wolff engine plant.

In total, 14 firefighters and five members of the Glasgow Rescue Corps lost their lives in the British Fire Brigade’s worst disaster since the end of the Second World War.

After the disaster, a large commemoration ceremony was held for the martyrs.

Mr Cruickshank, 71, was just six years old when his father was killed.

He recalled that in the following weeks his family had to move from the “fireman’s quarters” in Easterhouse to Carntyne.

He said his mother later found it difficult to talk about it but would be “extremely pleased” with the award.

he said BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland program: “The actual fire was visible from all over Glasgow. About 500 firefighters went out that night. You can’t even imagine what it’s like.

“There were a lot of whiskey barrels exploding everywhere and two of the walls ended up falling down. Glasgow was then known as the tinderbox city, a disaster waiting to happen.

“When I think of my mother, I can’t imagine what it was like for her. The grief he had to bear.

“The whole of Glasgow was watching those wives during that huge ceremony. I don’t know how she kept it together, so it was really difficult.”

Mr Cruickshank said he heard about the Elizabeth Emblem through his sister but later determined she was not eligible to apply because she was not the first-born child.

The next of kin of more than 30 former public servants will receive the emblem following a campaign by the fathers of PC Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes, who were murdered by Dale Cregan in Greater Manchester in 2012.

The Silver Emblem features the phrase “for a life given in service” along with a rosemary wreath and Tudor crown.

Mr Cruickshank said the award was a tribute to his mother as well as his father and would leave a legacy for those who lost their lives in the line of duty in the future.

“I think my mother would be very happy to know that my father was recognized,” she said.

“I’m not so sure it’s just about him, it’s about others and in the future this was 64 years ago for Cheapside Street but ultimately there will be others who have lost their lives in public service.

“It’s going to happen again, and it’s going to happen even if you don’t want it to, and so I think it’s going to mean even more to them because it’s going to be a lot more fresh and real.

“It’s truly incredible that the king will give us these awards.”

Seven of those who were eligible to receive the emblem died in Scotland.

Sally Taylor will receive the award as the widow of PC George Taylor, who was killed while on patrol on 30 November 1976.

He was attacked by two men dressed in prison uniform after escaping from the State Hospital in Carstairs, Lanarkshire.

The award will also be given to Archibald MacLellan, son of Neil MacLellan, a nurse who was on duty at the State Hospital that night.

He was killed by two men who also escaped with a patient.

The family of firefighter Hamish Grant, who died when his equipment tipped over while he was on his way to a farmhouse fire in Aberdeenshire in April 1965, and PC Edward Barnett, who was shot dead in Glasgow in January 1970, are also among the recipients.

The award will also be given to the family of Detective Sergeant William Ross Hunt, who was killed while on duty after being stabbed while trying to arrest a suspect in Larkhall in June 1983.

Meanwhile, PC Lewis Fulton His widow Christine fought for mandatory life sentences for those who killed emergency workersHe will receive the honor 30 years after his death in a stabbing in Glasgow’s Gorbals in 1994.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “We must never forget those who gave their lives to protect others in the line of duty.

“While families will never be able to replace their loved ones, the Elizabeth Emblem commemorates the sacrifice they made.”