[11], The fire escalated very rapidly, and flames became visible; police started to evacuate the stand. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department is raffling off a brand new truck to raise money to buy two brand new fire trucks. New legislation was introduced with the immediate closure of all wooden stands deemed unsafe, the banning of smoking within other wooden stands and the banning of any new wooden stands being built at all sports grounds. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. [7] As it was the first piece of league silverware that the club had captured since they won the Division Three (North) title 56years earlier, 11,076supporters were in the ground. These are the kinds of loose ends which would now be investigated to the end of the earth by the Hillsborough team. I once stumbled across the radio commentary from that day on YouTube. Deborah A Ormondroyd. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. Walter Kerr (76) [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. It's with that in mind that Ian's Bantamspast project is underway in Bradford. [8][9] In the crowd were local dignitaries and guests from three of Bradford's twin townsVerviers in Belgium, and Mnchengladbach and Hamm in West Germany. It was a massive tragedy for everybody at the club.". People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. 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. Performance Analyst: Scott Dyer. We are trying to find people who came out of the ground and were helped by people in the community. With Bantamspast having been awarded a 50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Ian says it's now just a matter of people coming forward with their Valley Parade memories. by Herts Clarets Fri May 11, 2018 1:13 pm, Post The men with no hair feeling the searing pain first; supporters entering hospital with their hands melted to their heads by the asphalt which has leaked from the stadium roof; a fan's trilby hat igniting. Powered By, Research,Grants and Collaboration Committee, University Institutional Ethics Committee, Buildings and Estate Services Committee (Including Transport), Students counselling and Mentoring Committee, University Institutional Animal Ethics Committee, Literary Arts, Cultural and Important Days Celebrations Committee, Students, Staff . The average price for property in BD6 1HR stood at 71,472 in July 2018. ", Bantamspast "Yes you've already told us you were concerned," the inquiry's QC effectively says, before he moves the conversation along. Ormondroyd praises 'phenomenal' Bradford Video Unavailable Technical details : A problem was encountered - please try again later Former Bradford and Aston Villa striker Ian Ormondroyd is. And so it has been that while Liverpool supporters' refusal to accept the received narrative of Hillsborough the stadium disaster 40 miles north across Yorkshire in which 96 died has made it a source of anger and liberation at the heart of the national consciousness, Bradford became the forgotten tragedy. 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. On the pitch, referee Norman Glover had no option but to stop the game as the horror unfolded in front of both sets of players who could feel the heat from the flames even from the other side of the ground. We were sat in our football kit, we didnt know what to do. ("And Dad being Dad, he blagged it all like a dream."). The match itself, however, had to be interrupted before half time as a fire quickly broke out, with memories of title celebrations now replaced with this horrible tragedy. The book and film will be released in March next year with an event at the National Media Museum, followed by a photographic exhibition at the same venue from May. The fire was described as the worst fire disaster in the history of British football, and the worst football related disaster since 66spectators died at Ibrox in 1971. Ive alway respected the quiet and dignified way that the Tragedy has been marked by the Club, the Fans(of both Bradford and Lincoln), and by Bradfordians in general. Thick, black . The city has seemed to want it to remain the forgotten disaster, though for many, the sense of what-might-have-been is too acute to want to block out the past. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. Police have revealed the identity of the man who they believe was responsible for . Are you sure you want to delete this comment? It's an incredible video, seen it numerous times, but as you say never gets less shocking. It slipped through a hole in the floorboard. Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, Ormondroyd played for Bradford City, Oldham Athletic, Aston Villa, Derby County, Leicester City, Hull City and Scunthorpe United. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please Yes it is I try to leave a scarf and floral tribute on behalf of Burnley fans.and will do so tomorrow. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. No, argues her husband, insulated as he was from that momentary horror his wife felt. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. 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. Post [45] In total, 28 police officers and 22 supporters, who were publicly documented as having saved at least one life, later received police commendations or bravery awards. [4], Although there had been some changes to other parts of the ground, the main stand remained unaltered by 1985. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. [citation needed] Spectators later spoke of initially feeling their feet becoming warmer; one of them ran to the back of the stand for a fire extinguisher but found none. Thats when I thought this is time to get out of here. Some of the local residents opened their houses so people could make phone calls, but until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead.. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. A total of 56 fans died in the fire on May 11, 1985, in a match between Bradford City and Lincoln City, with around 265 more injured. Never seen the death roll that's horrendous the Ormondroyd family looks like Father and . Rush Gaming Limited, Level 3, 203, BMW Building, Rue DArgens, Gzira GZR 1368, Malta. William James West (78) [2] By 1911, his work was completed. Comments have been closed on this article. It was a terrible, terrible tragedy and one which I often think about and certainly will never forget.. All you could see was a black cloud, all you could hear was sirens and screams and all you could smell was burning.. "Storage of paint implicated but no evidence of storage beneath the stand. It has a black marble fascia on which the names and ages of those that died are inscribed in gold, and a black marble platform on which people can leave flowers and mementos. The Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department recently announced a raffle to win a 2022 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew. . ", Ian Ormondroyd is searching for Valley Parade memories, A Bradford landmark - and a focus for many memories. Regional Scout (North): Ray Mathias. The inquiry into the disaster, chaired by Sir Oliver Popplewell and known as the Popplewell Inquiry,[25] led to the introduction of new legislation to improve safety at the UK's football grounds. "We're trying to find out why a lot of the Asian communities don't come to the ground, whether they feel they can't come to the games because they feel intimidated or whatever.". The JCT600 Stand will be open as well during the day to give fans the opportunity for some quiet reflection on this day of remembrance. Another player went into the office space to ensure there was nobody there. I was at a Scout camp at Bowley, we were listening to it on the radio in our tent..such a terrible tragedy. The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. The blaze broke. The play reflects that it had been "the Yorkshire way" not to make a fuss, to bear a loss and move on. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. Coach Terry Yorath described the events as "the worst day in my life. Lincoln City's board responded by committing 1.1million (3.5million today) to their ground's renovation in the year that immediately followed the fire at Valley Parade, and over the following decade made improvements that eventually totalled 3million. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. Treatment of casualties and Burns Research Unit, Dramatisations, documentaries and published works, West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of accidents and disasters by death toll, List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll, "Hideous images linger after carnage of 'celebration' day", "Caught in Time: Bradford City win the Third Division, 1985", "EXCLUSIVE: Bradford's Valley Parade fire must be remembered like Hillsborough", "History of The Bradford Sling The Bradford Sling", "Bradford City football stadium blaze surgeon honoured", "Research centre to be living memorial to Bradford City FC fire disaster", "The Papers of the Popplewell Inquiry into Crowd Safety at Sports Grounds", "Popplewell Inquiry Bradford City Fire", "Bradford remembered: The unheeded warnings that led to tragedy", Joseph Canley summing up statement from test case court transcripts, Newspaper report from Sport and the Law April 21st 1989, "The Glasgow Herald Google News Archive Search", Los Angeles Times report on Bradford City test case findings, Court transcript from the test case brought by Susan Fletcher and Others against Bradford City and Others, "Bradford fire survivor attacks judge over Hillsborough comments", "The Story of the Bradford Fire: 'could any man really be as unlucky as Stafford Heginbotham? Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. A discarded cigarette and a dilapidated wooden stand, which had survived because the club did not have the money to replace it, and accumulated paper litter, were considered to have conspired to cause the worst disaster in the history of the Football League. Performance Analyst and Player Welfare Officer: Robbie Bloodworth. "We were concerned there might be, because of the rapidity of the fire, a mechanism unknown to us." 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. 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. He returned to Bradford City as football in the community officer, and also works as a commentator and match day summariser for Bradford City games with Pulse Radio. Naquin's 3-run homer in 9th gives Reds 10-7 win over Twins The Cincinnati Reds didn't look drained to manager David Bell, despite this recent slide. It was his first and last football match. It was nearly double the season's average of 6,610 and included 3,000fans in the ground's main stand. Frederick Hindle (76) Howard Malcolm Turner (41) The father whose burgeoning success as a metals stockholder, driving a BMW 323i, took him a long way from his roots, selling coach trips to Mablethorpe. Fire crews from . 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. Our mission is to provide a safe, fun and inclusive environment to inspire, educate and enable the people of Bradford to achieve their goals to their fullest potential. There were no extinguishers in the stand's passageway for fear of vandalism, and one spectator ran to the clubhouse to find one but was overcome by smoke and impeded by others trying to escape. 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. That journey back to Lincoln was the quietest and most miserable I have ever known. 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. Bradford City AFC (@officialbantams) May 10, 2016, MORE : Mark Clattenburg set to officiate Champions League final, Sean Dyche says Arsenal have the look of Premier League champions after hammering Everton, No way! Darren Bent tells Chelsea star Raheem Sterling he wouldnt get in the Arsenal team amid transfer links, I love that! Michael Owen singles out Bukayo Saka for praise after Arsenal thump Everton, Roy Keane slams West Ham and the Spurs of this world after Manchester Uniteds FA Cup comeback, Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal star for magic moment in win over Everton, Mark Clattenburg set to officiate Champions League final, Do not sell or share my personal information. When Bradford City played Lincoln City at Valley Parade on May 11th, 1985, what should have been an afternoon of celebration quickly turned into one of the worst disasters ever seen at a British football ground. Nellie Forster (64) Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. As many supporters still required rescue from the stand, they were unable to immediately start fighting the source of the fire. The two sides met for the first time after the fire in April 1989, when they arranged a benefit match in aid of the Hillsborough disaster, at Valley Parade. contact the editor here. As Fletcher's investigations have given his book a huge profile, so its subtler components have in many ways been overlooked. It's the Ormondroyd & Stockman names that get to me - both of them dad and two sons. Each year Lincoln send representatives to the annual memorial service in Bradford city centre and between 2007 and 2009, were managed by Bradford's captain that day, Peter Jackson. "Thank you. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Edmund Anderton (68) Ran home and put the television on." "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. You must log in or register to reply here. by IanMcL Fri May 11, 2018 9:01 am, Post The fans even say, 'I'm not particularly liking what I'm seeing on the field at the moment, but I enjoy the company of Billy and John'. by NottsClaret Fri May 11, 2018 2:00 pm, Post Peter Fletcher (32) A total of 56 fans died in the fire on May 11, 1985, in a match between Bradford City and Lincoln City, with around 265 more injured. Some of the people in the session were not familiar with the disaster and were shocked by what they saw, most noticeably the speed in which the fire spread, as there was a stopwatch in the corner of the screen. John Hutton (74) We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. RIP to those who died and condolences to all persons connected to Bradford City Football Club. I was there 3 weeks before with Burnley. RIP. Samuel Firth (86) 1 . But it is Bradford, so they are just lying there, dormant, on the file, along with the question of the nine Heginbotham fires. Footage of the accident at this point shows levels of confusion among the spectatorswhile many were trying to escape or to cross the pitch to the relative safety of the neighbouring stands, other spectators were observed cheering or waving to the still-rolling pitchside cameras. The father whose attempts to make him a Bradford City fan he mischievously tried to resist, especially after the family's relocation to the detached surrounds of East Bridgford in Nottinghamshire turned the boy into a Nottingham Forest fan. [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. BBC West Yorkshire: Sport. The fire destroyed the main stand completely and left only burned seats, lamps and metal fences remaining. The deaths were preventable . Some of those back in Bradford have not welcomed his turning over of the stones. The worst fire disaster in English football history played out on live television on May 11, after Valley Parade's main stand caught fire during a match between Bradford City and Lincoln City on . by tim_noone Fri May 11, 2018 9:25 am, Post [6], The 198485 season had been one of Bradford City's most successful seasons, ending with City clinching the championship title courtesy of a 20 victory against Bolton Wanderers in the penultimate game of the season. The main fire safety system failed disastrously in a blaze at a Bronx apartment building in January, killing 17 people, The New York Times has found. Video via Citizen. 05/12/15 AT 9:58 AM BST. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. [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. The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room, recalled City midfielder John Hendrie some years later. 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. I do not include the people currently running the club, who have always displayed a great, sensitive duty to the memory of those who died. Irene Mcpherson (28) The lucky winner will be drawn January 1, 2023, and the person will not be responsible for the sales tax. 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