National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Roll of Honor

Battalion Chief
Age: 52
Year of Death: 1917

Fred G. Gilham

Battalion Chief Fred G. Gilham, age 52, of the Seattle Fire Department died in a collapse at the Grand Theatre on January 20, 1917.

He joined the Seattle Fire Department shortly after the Great Seattle Fire in June 1889.  Fred resigned in 1896 to prospect for gold in Alaska, but returned to the department in 1899.  He rose through the ranks and was promoted to battalion chief in 1913 commanding Station 2 at Third Avenue and Pine Street.

He is survived by his wife Madeline, two adult children, Ruth and Brian, and brother, Captain Charles W. Gilham, of Engine Company No. 6, and sisters Elizabeth Wright and Ellen Richter.

Fred was also a member of the Woodman of the World and the Loyal Order of the Moose.

He started in the fire service in Salem, Oregon with Volunteer Fire Company No. 3.

This firefighter line of duty fatality occurred before the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial was built in Emmitsburg, Maryland. While this firefighter has not been officially honored at the Memorial site, there are plans to do so when resources are available.

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