"[34], Central to the test case were two letters sent to Bradford City's Club Secretary by the West Yorkshire Fire Brigade; the second letter dated 18 July 1984 specifically highlighted in full the improvements needed to be actioned at the ground as well as the fire risk at the main stand. Even the received wisdom is enough to make you rage against football's breathtaking complacency: the same complacency which would turn the terrace at Hillsborough into a killing ground, four years later. "[61], 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. [15] At 3:44 pm, five minutes before half-time, the first sign of a fire—a glowing light—was noticed three rows from the back of block G,[10][16] as reported by TV commentator John Helm. [10] Half of those who died were either aged under 20 or over 70,[10][21] and the oldest victim was the club's former chairman, Sam Firth, aged 86. Bradford played its part in that. It is Mrs Ibrahim's sentiment which seems to be most prevalent in Manningham, the British Asian district bordering Valley Parade, where many locals took injured and traumatised people into their homes that day. The real joke was that his next fire, which killed 56 people, resulted in Bradford City receiving insurance proceeds and associated grants of £988,000. It's certainly how Mumtaz Ibrahim feels about the day when, as a newly married 20-year-old, she thought her young husband had been killed in the flames. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 2–1 in a friendly. It was 30 years ago. The blaze ripped through the wooden structure in just a few minutes as Bradford City played Lincoln City in an end-of-season match, leaving many … The director of that organisation, Dr David Woolley, was interviewed for just two hours by the inquiry team, and his private papers reveal his desperate rush to assemble information into a report for Popplewell. [10] The stand seats did not have risers; this had allowed a large accumulation of rubbish and paper waste in the cavity space under the stand, which had not been cleared for many months. Called 'The 56' the play dramatises actual accounts of the Bradford City Fire with the purpose of the play showing how in times of adversity, the Football Club and the local community came together. The scriptwriters' hours of interviews with those caught up in the horror are distilled into the narratives of three survivors, and the casual horrors of what befell football supporters that day are all in there. It only took four minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in flames. Supporters either ran upwards to the back of the stand or downwards to the pitch to escape. He established that there had been eight other fires at businesses owned by or associated with the entrepreneur, who > died in 1995, aged 61. Football architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to carry out the work. She was Hazel Greenwood – the mother whose children, 13-year-old Felix and 11-year-old Rupert, had been ushered away from the flames of the stadium fire all those years ago by a traffic warden, seeking to shelter them under his tunic. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. "We did not know the fullness of what was happening but we could see some of them were struggling just to walk and to see," says Iqbal Qasim, one of those who helped. The extraordinary part of all this is that this testimony has barely been heard. [35], During the case, Sir Joseph Canley stated that: "It is only right that I should say that I think it would be unfair to conclude that Mr Heginbotham, Mr Tordoff, the Board of Directors, or any of them, were intentionally and callously indifferent to the safety of spectators using the stand. Co-writer Matt Stevens-Woodhead had been asked to talk about the play to children at the local Parkside School a few weeks earlier – and that had been the catalyst for Hazel Greenwood to return there too. Reading back the transcript in a 21st-century, Hillsborough Inquiry environment you expect this to be the moment when Popplewell pushes Woolley to elaborate. "It seemed that this should at least have been examined," Fletcher says. But a minute or so later there was suddenly a bigger whoosh of smoke so they went to get a steward. The fact the inquiry also embraced the investigation into another incident which happened on the same day, a riot in which a young boy died at Birmingham City, makes it seem more frivolous. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. Speculation an Australian man started the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 IT killed 56 people and destroyed an entire stadium. It was the place where her boys had been growing into their secondary education when the fire took them. Mathew Wildman, aged 17 at the time of the fire, commented that "I must have had five different experiments carried out on me with all sorts of new techniques for skin grafts and I had potions injected into me that helped my face repair naturally over time. [23], Immediately after the fire, Professor Sharpe planned and treated the injuries of over 200 individuals, with many experimental treatments being used. After its renovation in 1990 they named the home end of their ground the 'Stacey-West Stand', in honour of Bill Stacey and Jim West, the two Lincoln City supporters who were amongst the 56 to die at Bradford. [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. The Bradford Burns Unit was set up by Professor David Sharpe after he received many of the victims following the fire. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The stadium, long-established home to Bradford City Football Club, was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. The match against Lincoln City, the final game of that season, had started in a celebratory atmosphere with the home team receiving the Football League Third Division trophy. The largest volume of evidence stored there relates to the Department of the Environment's Fire Research Council – the body responsible for providing scientific evidence for Popplewell. May 11, 2019 #8 JPRouve can't stop thinking about balls - NOT deflategate. He lost his father John, 34, his 11-year-old brother Andrew, uncle Peter, 32, and grandfather Eddie, 63, in the fire. In the mass panic that ensued, fleeing crowds escaped on to the pitch but others at the back of the stand tried to break down locked exit doors to escape, and many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. Burning timbers and molten materials fell from the roof onto the crowd and seating below, and dense black smoke enveloped a passageway behind the stand, where many spectators were trying to escape. Following the hearing in 1986, a test case was brought against the club by David Britton, a police sergeant serving on the day, and by Susan Fletcher, who lost her husband John, 11-year-old son Andrew, John's brother Peter and his father Edmond in the fire. "[17], One witness saw paper or debris on fire, about nine inches (230 mm) below the floor boards. One man clambered over burning seats to help a fan,[18] as did player John Hawley,[15] and one officer led fans to an exit, only to find it shut and had to turn around. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. [31], The outcome of the test case resulted in over 154 claims being addressed (110 civilians and 44 police officers)[32] by the injured or bereaved. Of the 56 people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. Although some attributed Lincoln City's sudden demise to the psychological effects of the fire on its players (together with the resignation of successful manager Colin Murphy shortly before the fire), it symbolised the wider crisis that the introduction of new safety legislation brought to Lincoln's Sincil Bank home. No follow up question. [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe González. As Fletcher's investigations have given his book a huge profile, so its subtler components have in many ways been overlooked. Within a few hours of the blaze starting, it was established that 56 people had been killed, many as a result of smoke inhalation, although some of them had survived until reaching hospital.[11]. [6], The 1984–85 season had been one of Bradford City's most successful seasons. A police officer shouted to a colleague for an extinguisher. Accidental conflagration which occurred during an English League Third Division match between Bradford City and Lincoln City on Saturday, 11 May 1985, killing 56 … It slipped through a hole in the floorboard. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. It was during this treatment that Professor Sharpe began to create the Bradford Sling,[22] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. [59] Following this report, Leslie Brownlie, who was the nephew in question, is reported to have said that his uncle never made such an admission of starting the fire. However, as there was no real precedent, most Bradfordians accepted that the fire was a terrible piece of misfortune. At 3:44 pm, five minutes before half-time, the first sign of a fire—a glowing light—was noticed three rows from the back of block G, as reported by TV commentator John Helm. There was no appetite for a re-enactment of events, such as that which Dublin embarked upon when a fire at the Stardust nightclub fire in Arcane claimed 48 lives in 1981. Uncensored coverage of the fire was transmitted minutes after the event on World of Sport and the BBC's Grandstand. However, the responsibility of the Club is, in my view, very much the greater and I apportion responsibility between the two defendants as to two-thirds on the first defendant and one-third on the third (sic) defendant. "I was out shopping in Bradford and he had gone to the match," she says. The original match referee (as named in the match programme) was Don Shaw, but he could not officiate due to an injury; Glover had been appointed to the match as replacement official. England won the re-match 6–4. The main stand at Bradford was not surrounded by fencing, and therefore most of the spectators in it could escape onto the pitch – if they had been penned in then the death toll would inevitably have been in the hundreds if not the thousands. Bradford fire: 'Raging' blaze sends plumes of smoke into night sky - updates here A HUGE fire has broken out in Bradford, prompting a large emergency response. Bradford City Stadium Fire - 36 years ago today. The play reflects that it had been "the Yorkshire way" not to make a fuss, to bear a loss and move on. "[36], The total amount of compensation to the 154 claimants was reported to be as high as £20 million, with the payouts covered by insurance taken out by the club. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. It's why he gravitated to London and the enclosed spaces, moving to Brixton when his first base became gentrified. There actually used to be an old saying in Bradford: "If you see smoke go up in Bradford after 6pm, that'll be one of Stafford's." By Lydia Smith. He went on to state: "In 1985 fire investigation in Britain was in its infancy and some would say at that time most fire investigators were not much more than dust-kickers. So do the sounds of some of those 150 people present, packing the little theatre's benches to capacity, needing to leave the dark space and take a moment to recover themselves. "I became an adult overnight at 12 and I'm still there," Fletcher says, and you wonder what's next, now that the book which has become his life's work is published. "Thank you. As many supporters still required rescue from the stand, they were unable to immediately start fighting the source of the fire. Police worked until 4 am the next morning, under lighting, to remove all the bodies. Bradford City stadium fire: Remembering the 56 who died at Valley Parade It was the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. 0:06. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. A giant Christian cross, made up of two large charred wooden members[45] that had once been part of the stand, was constructed in front of the middle of the stand and behind the pitchside speaker's platform. "[11] Police Superintendent Barry Osborne, divisional commander for the area, said many of his officers cried when they saw how badly people had been burned. "The rumours of the fire came slowly and took hold slowly but when things became clear, I threw down my bags and ran. They were immediately promoted back to the Football League in 1988, and survived for 23 years before being relegated again in 2011. [47], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. Now a new film claims an Australian was responsible for the worst fire disaster in English football history. Andie . [3] It included a main stand which seated 5,300 fans, and had room for a further 7,000 standing spectators in the paddock in front. His afternoon intersected with that of Preston, who was in an ambulance on his way to St Luke's hospital to be treated for burns when a 12-year-old was bundled aboard, concerned only at the moment to know "how did Leeds United get on" that day. Bradford City stadium fire - WikiMili, The Free It was appalling that public money was given to the club while it was still owned by the same shareholders under whose direction the fire had happened. But it is Bradford, so they are just lying there, dormant, on the file, along with the question of the nine Heginbotham fires. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Presumably he’s the one that’s shown in the above video. He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. It was clear that the stand was a fire risk; the club and local authority clearly knew that it needed improvements, even the fans who filled it could see the danger. 2–4 Bradford City A.F.C. "Why should they not still want answers?" Following a 1–0 defeat to Leyton Orient at the end of September, the side went 13 games undefeated, during which they went top of the Division Three table by defeating Millwall 3–1. The Valley Parade stadium, long-established home to Bradford City Football Club, had been n… Bradford City Football Club Fire Disaster 11 May 1985. "Why is it coming out now? I don't see that. The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. Criticising Bradford City during the case, Mr. Michael Ogden QC, highlighted that the Club 'gave no or very little thought to fire precautions', despite repeated warnings. However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. The boy – Fletcher – discovered soon enough how boundlessly and profoundly life-affecting the afternoon would prove to be. However, the fire had consumed the stand entirely by that point and they were faced with huge flames and very dense smoke. The Popplewell Inquiry found that the club had been warned about the fire risk that the rubbish accumulating under the stand had posed. "I feel like I've been in my 20s for years," he says and his life now – south-west London flatshare, single professional – seems to reflect the world of a restive soul, struggling for an anchor. "I wept with joy," she says. The unheroic obstinacy of the woman who refused to leave without her handbag "because my teeth are in it." Ran. The stand had already been condemned, and the demolition teams were due to start work two days later. [27], In July 1985 an inquest was held into the deaths; at the hearings the coroner James Turnbull recommended a death by misadventure outcome, with which the jury agreed. May 13, 2015 11:01am The lack of perimeter fencing kept the death toll down, and prevented it from reaching the hundreds or potentially the thousands. The school hall, like the theatre, was still and noiseless as the children listened to this passionate and indefatigable woman, whose family home should be full of the sound of many grandchildren, by now, but who is instead still seeking what meagre consolations she can find from the wreckage of Bradford's forgotten tragedy. "We were concerned there might be, because of the rapidity of the fire, a mechanism unknown to us." [8], The Bradford City matchday squad of players and staff consisted of Terry Yorath, Trevor Cherry, Chris Withe, Don Goodman, Eric McManus, Tony Clegg, John Hawley, Dave Evans, Bryan Edwards, John Hendrie, Mark Ellis, Stuart McCall, Peter Jackson, Bobby Campbell, Martin Singleton and Greg Abbott.[13]. The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during an English League Third Division match between Bradford City and Lincoln City at the Valley Parade stadium on Saturday, 11 May 1985, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. That was the open and shut case, the inquiry into the disaster chaired by Sir Oliver Popplewell, a High Court judge, concluded. On the recording are Dene Michael (Black Lace), The Chuckle Brothers, Clive Jackson of Dr & The Medics, Owen Paul, Billy Pearce, Billy Shears, Flint Bedrock, Danny Tetley and Rick Wild of The Overlanders. Patsy Hollinger, secretary of the Bradford City supporters' club at the time of the fire, says: 'It's a shame this has taken 30 years to come out.' And Bradford seemed happy with it: five days of testimony, a 27-page report and everyone moved on. (2015), 2003 Football League Third Division play-off Final, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradford_City_stadium_fire&oldid=1023313432, Building and structure fires in the United Kingdom, Fire disasters involving barricaded escape routes, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2018, Articles needing additional references from May 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from December 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Fan attempted to extinguish a lit cigarette, it slipped through floorboards and fell on trash, igniting it. One eyewitness, Geoffrey Mitchell, told the BBC: "It spread like a flash. [8][10] Three men smashed down one door and at least one exit was opened by people outside, which again helped prevent further deaths. "[60], Raymond Falconer's reliability had previously been questioned by Daniel Taylor in The Guardian who stated that: "The Bradford Telegraph and Argus described him as a 'top detective'. [37], In 2010, Susan Fletcher's son and survivor of the Bradford City fire (and witness to the Hillsborough disaster), Martin Fletcher, openly criticised the club's hierarchy at the time of the fire and the subsequent investigation. Lincoln City suffered two successive relegations, first to the Fourth Division in 1986, and again in 1987, becoming the first team to be automatically relegated from the Football League itself. Mr Justice Popplewell, who led the inquiry into the fire, at the 'Turnstile Shrine' in the stadium (Rex) That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the stand. [46] PCs Peter Donald Barrett and David Charles Midgley, along with spectators Michael William Bland and Timothy Peter Leigh received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct. "Yes," he told the inquiry when asked if he was "cautious" about the conclusion he had made about a match causing the fire. He is quoted as saying: "I don't believe the statement of retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer at all. Fletcher's dogged attempts to demonstrate whether that was just urban rumour included poring over 20 years of local newspaper reports and the business history of Heginbotham. Instead, there is nothing. Coach Terry Yorath described the events as "the worst day in my life. Elsewhere in Britain, only the 66 deaths at Ibrox Stadium in Scotland 14 years earlier had seen a higher death toll. Popplewell's report was nowhere close to the quality of Lord Justice Taylor's report after Hillsborough, and since reading it as an adult I have always been very disappointed in it and considered it a poor piece of work. No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. A charred copy of the local paper from Monday, 4 November 1968, was among the litter. "[24], On the 25th anniversary of the fire, the University of Bradford established the United Kingdom's largest academic research centre in skin sciences as an extension to its plastic surgery and burns research unit.[25]. The Independent Magazine's own investigations, at the National Archive at Kew, bear out the nagging suspicions Fletcher always had. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. [2] The main stand was described as a "mammoth structure", but was unusual for its time because of its place on the side of a hill. He and the children all perished, along with the boys' father. One, now re-situated to that end of the stand where the fire began, is a sculpture donated on the initial re-opening of Valley Parade in December 1986 by Sylvia Graucob, a then Jersey-based former West Yorkshire woman. They were at fault, but the fault was that no-one in authority seems ever to have properly appreciated the real gravity of this fire hazard and consequently no-one gave it the attention it certainly ought to have received. Synopsis. Bradford city stadium fire book. There was talk of "a raincoat smell" about 15.40pm that afternoon, as the fire took hold. The Documentary highlighted the 'poison pen letters' and graffiti targeted at the then club chairman Stafford Heginbotham over accusations that he was in some way personally responsible for the deaths of the 56 people who died at the fire.[55]. [11] The fire escalated very rapidly, and flames became visible; police started to evacuate the stand.
Dynamo Kiev Retro Jersey,
Greg Wyshynski Daughter,
Uniden Bearcat 880 Vs Cobra 29 Lx,
Boston Terriers Hockey,
Air Practice Test,
Arsène Lupin Contre Arsène Lupin,
Great Gig In The Sky Guitar Tabs,
Flight Centre Annual Report 2019,
Crypto Breakout Alerts Twitter,