Richard Gilliam had joined Dorking Volunteer Fire Brigade in Surrey in 1870 and served with them for over 10 years. He later moved to Yorkshire and used his experience to set up a fire brigade firstly at Cottingham and later the Hull Volunteer Fire Brigade. 

The original station building in Hull has several ceramic portrait heads of Victorian firemen above the arches of the engine bays, one of which is thought to depict Richard Gillingham. There are several items of memorabilia connected with him at Dorking Museum, although there is only one known photograph. He had a very large and elaborate funeral at Dorking but again there are no known photographs of the event.