The Galloway Home Fire

On the night of 10th November 1926, a fire broke out at 21 Smugglers Street on the outskirts of Edinburgh, killing two members of the Galloway family, Stella and Harry.

## Timeline of Events

During the night Harry and Stella Galloway were killed, Tommy was out at the pub for a drink with his friends, Jock and Bobby. He left at around 7pm and didn't return until about 1am the next morning. Stella was left at home with her two five-year-olds, Harry and Skye, along with the family dog, German Shepherd, Remus. The family sit to dinner, but Skye and Harry smuggle bits of their food to give to Remus. Stella soon realises what has been going on so puts Remus in his kennel outside so not to distract her children. Soon after, the children are then sent to bed.

At about 11pm, Skye sneaked out of the house to spend some time with the family dog, Remus who Stella had left outside in the back garden after another argument about feeding him. Skye felt sorry for him, so sneaked downstairs and out to his kennel in the back garden. She kept him company for about half an hour, until she fell asleep next to him. Skye awoke in the early hours only to find the family home engulfed in flames. Skye leaves Remus in his kennel to keep him safe, then enters the house screaming for her family. Skye rushes upstairs to the bedroom, only to find Harry still sleeping, but his heart isn't beating. Skye tries to resuscitate him, but is unsuccessful. Her heart completely pours out over Harry's lifeless body. The flames become increasingly unbearable, forcing Skye to leave Harry. She descends down the stairs and into the back garden again. She hears roaring and shouting from the front of the house, and it's the firemen trying to tackle the flames as well as checking if anyone was inside.

During this time, the firefighters bring out the lifeless body of Stella and places it in front of a heartbroken Tommy who raised the alarm after returning from the pub. He then cradles his dead wife, desperate to find his children alive, but moments after, Harry's body emerges from the house and is placed beside his dead mothers'. Tommy screams Skye's name from the top of his lungs, crying hysterically. Skye instantly recognises his voice and calls out for her father, but he in unable to hear her from the back of the house as the flames are too severe. Skye stays close to Remus who has freed himself from his kennel and she doesn't want to move as she is too scared to. The flames by this point are almost into the neighbours garden, so there is nowhere for Skye to cross to get to the front of the house. Remus barks deafeningly loudly, but he is also whimpering in fear because of the flames. Remus backs up to his kennel as Skye kneels down and hugs Remus, shaking.

The flames die down a little, but by this point, Tommy has lost all hope in finding his daughter alive. The firemen try to drag Tommy away from the two corpses, but they can't move him. He is utterly devastated. Tommy then hears the familiar loud barking of Remus and runs towards the direction of it. The firemen tell him it's too dangerous to cross past the house, but he ignores them anyway. Tommy then sees his shivering daughter sitting with Remus, crying. Tommy and Skye's eyes lock together as Tommy runs towards his daughter and scoops her up in his arms, embracing her more tightly than he ever has. They both are completely broken.

Skye never tells Tommy about finding Harry's dead body in the burning house.

## Aftermath

After the fire, Tommy and Skye leave Edinburgh and settle in a small cottage on the outskirts of London to be nearer to Tommy's parents. Over time, Tommy and Skye become increasingly distant from one another. They both keep their emotions as well as their experiences on that day to themselves, causing not much conversation between the two of them.

Tommy becomes an alcoholic as he struggles to deal with the trauma he faced on that fateful day. Skye tries on numerous occasions to talk to Tommy about what happened, but he would get angry and sometimes violent if she ever did.

Being an alcoholic, Tommy struggles to get a job, so just visits the pub during the day, whereas Skye tries to find work whenever she can to provide for him. She feels she has a duty of care towards him and finds odd jobs here and there but she eventually joins the Land Army, forcing her to leave her father and their dog, Remus, but she knows it is for the best. Skye loves her father more than he realises, but she can't bare to see him throw his life away.

Skye has numerous dreams about 5-year-old Harry, mostly him standing in front of her, smiling, telling her that he is okay and it's not her fault, but Skye very much keeps these dreams to herself.