James Morris Gale

At the age of 14 he moved to Glasgow and worked under his brother, William Gale, who was engineer to the Gorbals Water Company.

At the same time Gale drafted plans for the proposed enlargement of these works, which were considered an alternative scheme to the Loch Katrine project, then receiving attention.

Gale was appointed as Resident Engineer on the city section of the scheme under Bateman, by whom it was designed and carried out.

The 2.4m diameter subterranean tunnels are unlined and have been constructed to a flat gradient of 158mm per km (about 10 inches per mile).

[7] Gale was then appointed chief engineer of the Glasgow Corporation Waterworks and took entire charge of the project.

[8] At the end of 1881 Glasgow had increased in population so greatly that it became apparent a larger supply of water than the aqueduct could convey from Loch Katrine would be required within a few years.

[10] The reservoir was brought into operation on the 1 January 1897 after geological problems necessitated the excavation of a deep trench to ensure that it was fully watertight.

[7] Describing the entire waterworks, Gale commented that they were as worthy to "bear comparison with the most extensive aqueducts in the world, not excluding those of ancient Rome".

The Art Nouveau style monument features a bronze plaque with a profile of Gale, embedded into a roughly hewn block of granite.

James Gale pictured alongside members of the Water Committee, 24 August 1876
Memorial fountain to James M Gale at the Milngavie water treatment works