Battery Road Car Park

From here you can see The Briggers Memorial which lists the names, ages and occupations of the 74 men killed during the construction of the Forth Bridge. You can read more about The Briggers Memorial around the base of the memorial.

The Briggers worked in hazardous conditions. The "Forth Bridge Accident Book" was donated to Queensferry Museum in 2018. Collections staff at the City of Edinburgh Museums & Galleries approached a group of Queensferry local historians (also known as The Briggers) to analyse and compare it with existing documents.

As one of the only surviving operational documents from the early construction period, the book offers an astonishing insight into the dangers faced by the men and boys - and how they were treated.

The entries can be gruesome. William Hawkins was crushed by the Tamar barge. His leg was completely smashed above ankle and had to be amputated at the knee. He was “removed to Infirmary Edinr. by Ambulance”. Hawkins survived and was paid until he was able to come back to work. He was “presented with an artificial leg & also a gratuity of £10 on leaving Infirmary, conditionally on his raising no action against” Tancred Arrol & Company, the main Forth Bridge construction contractor.

The book is available to view online as part of Capital Collections - the image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries, and The Briggers continue to research its contents.