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. Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire that devastated Valley Parade Thirty years after football's 'forgotten tragedy', the truth of what exactly happened when 56. 1 . David James Crabtree (30) Fifty-six people died. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. Uncensored coverage of the fire was transmitted minutes after the event on World of Sport and the BBC's Grandstand after the video cassette was physically driven to Yorkshire Television. Burnley were down south that day probably in the Midlands.we stopped off for beer in Rochdale and saw the horror on the telly box. [17], One witness saw paper or debris on fire, about nine inches (230mm) below the floor boards. My friend was there in the stand opposite that one. "I think the fire will play a big part in it. It will stay in my memory for ever. It detailed the safety work which would be carried out at Valley Parade as a result of the club's promotion, admitting the ground was "inadequate in so many ways for modern requirements". Picture date: Thursday August 25, 2022. Part of the service was also held in Urdu and Punjabi as a sign of appreciation to the local ethnically Asian Subcontinental community in Manningham, Bradford and around Valley Parade who had opened their homes to Bradford City supporters to provide assistance in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Thats when I thought this is time to get out of here. ORMONDROYD, Richard John 12 Bingley ORMONDROYD, Robert Ian 12 Bingley POLLARD, Sylvia Lund 69 Bradford PRICE, Herbert 78 Shipley . Robert Ian Ormondroyd (12) These are the kinds of loose ends which would now be investigated to the end of the earth by the Hillsborough team. A further 265 fans were injured in the blazes that day, and describe it as a traumatic memory and one of the saddest days in English football. It's with that in mind that Ian's Bantamspast project is underway in Bradford. It's why he gravitated to London and the enclosed spaces, moving to Brixton when his first base became gentrified. Share. Forty-year-old Gerald Ormondroyd also died that day, along with his 12-year old twin sons Richard and Robert, just two of ten families to lose more than one member at Valley Parade.. Craig Albert Stockman (14) by FCBurnley Fri May 11, 2018 2:53 pm, Post Head of Sports Science: Greg Stebbings. The aim is to preserve these memories for posterity as part of the club's museum at Valley Parade, together with a DVD, podcasts and more. I don't see that. A giant Christian cross, made up of two large charred wooden members[44] 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. That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the 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. It was Fletcher's mother, Susan, who had always said that she did not believe the fire was an accident and who talked of the other blazes at businesses owned or linked to Stafford Heginbotham, the Bradford City chairman of the day. Firefighters from across West Yorkshire tackle huge blaze A large fire involving thousands of scrap tyres has forced schools to close and caused traffic disruption in Bradford. A massive fire broke out at a factory in Bradford this morning 11 Footage shows flames erupting from the factory 11 The blaze broke out in the early hours of this morning Credit: Ben. Thick, black . RF 2FMDJ1J - Jake Trueman (6) of Castleford Tigers is tackled by Jack Ormondroyd (25) of Salford Red Devils. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. His father Tony went back the following day and said: "I wondered how anybody had got out alive, but I also began to feel guilty that I had got out when so many hadn't." Then, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. March 3, 2022. The unheroic obstinacy of the woman who refused to leave without her handbag "because my teeth are in it." We couldnt run back down the tunnel. The Valley Parade fire took hold, it has always been said, because a match must have been dropped into the reservoir of rubbish in the dark cavity beneath the main stand's seats. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. 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. ("And Dad being Dad, he blagged it all like a dream."). Norman Hall (71) Ian Ormondroyd, Bantamspast From the tragic fire at Valley Parade in May 1985 to the club's slide from the Premier League to administration in more recent years, people will obviously have many. That stand went up so quick youd think it was made of petrol. Rupert Benedict Greenwood (11) BRADFORD, N.H. (AP) An explosion and a fire at a school bus transportation company building in Bradford critically injured two people, the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's . John Hughes (64) Edmund Anderton (68) The footage never gets any less shocking. The explosion and fire was reported shortly after 10:30 a.m. at Student Transportation of America (formerly Valley Transportation) located at 2345 Route 114 in Bradford, the state fire marshal's office said. That was nothing compared with the time it took to interview witnesses in the Hillsborough Inquiry.". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [30], The outcome of the test case resulted in over 154 claims being addressed (110 civilians and 44 police officers)[31] by the injured or bereaved. Samuel Firth (86) 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. "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. That certainly changed when Martin Fletcher told his story. Amazing that just 18 days later the Heysel tragedy occured,a dark month for football. On 23 February 1987, Sir Joseph Cantley found the club two thirds responsible and the county council (which by this time had been abolished) one third responsible. 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. A large fire involving thousands of scrap tyres in Bradford has caused school closures and travel disruption. House Prices in Ormondroyd Avenue, Wibsey, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD6 Properties in Ormondroyd Avenue had an overall average price of 128,000 over the last year. We had to run up the stairs, through the office doors and out onto the street. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. Above all else, it is a beautifully observed and incredibly detailed memoir of a son's relationship with the father he lost at the age of 12. He remembers people coming out of the ground and going into his house and phoning people. As Bantams Community Manager, Ian hopes it will reveal what people living around the ground really think. It's right to know why it happened." There was a documentary on local Yorkshire TV a couple of years ago, the guy who does the weather reports here was at the game as a youngster. Nigel Adams who worked for 12 years as a fire investigator with a British fire service was spurred on by the book to join the call for a fresh inquiry, stating that Fletcher's book was "one of the best accounts of a fire, as seen from a victim's point of view, and as a piece of investigative writing, I have ever read". But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. There were 49 of us who travelled to Bradford on that day and just 47 came home. It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. Coach Terry Yorath described the events as "the worst day in my life. 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. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Bradford City have announced that the JCT600 Stand will be open today for fansto come and reflect on the tragedy and pay their respects. I was doing some research about football stadium disasters a few years ago as I find them fascinating and horrendous at the same time. It was a massive tragedy for everybody at the club.". 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. 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 . Bradford City players, staff and fans gathered today to remember the victims of the Valley Parade fire, which took place exactly 31 years ago. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. 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. Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS7. "Yes," he told the inquiry when asked if he was "cautious" about the conclusion he had made about a match causing the fire. Jane Ashley Stockman (16) I dont praise the Folk of Yorkshire cheaply, but their Dignity, Self Respect, and Stoicism is a great credit to them. May 11, 2019 #12 Erebus Full Member. I saw the footage of the disaster as part of a fire training session and at the time it had been taken off any websites etc. [45] 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. Initially, the fire appeared to be nothing more than a small blaze and was soon noticed by ITV commentator John Helm who was covering the game for Yorkshire Television that day. No, argues her husband, insulated as he was from that momentary horror his wife felt. "Yes you've already told us you were concerned," the inquiry's QC effectively says, before he moves the conversation along. The stand had already been condemned, and the demolition teams were due to start work two days later. The local Bradford Telegraph and Argus has found many voices to challenge his testimony, too. He became famous for his height and build, in a similar manner to that of Peter Crouch . Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. "So yes, it's right that these old questions be asked now. There are . I walked past a public telephone outside the ground and there were queues of people waiting to ring home. 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. Three people were killed trying to escape through the toilets, while 27 bodies were found at the back of the stand by the locked exit doors and two elderly people died in their seats. Instead, there is nothing. The blaze broke. And so, too, is the black tragicomedy which can exist at the boundaries. "[33], 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. 56 fans died as a fire broke out at the game at Valley Parade, 54 Bradford supporters and two from opponents Lincoln City. One letter from the council said the problems "should be rectified as soon as possible"; a second said: "A carelessly discarded cigarette could give rise to a fire risk." It has already interviewed 60 people including retired police officers who were on duty at the fire, who said they went around the streets to find survivors. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. Football architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to carry out the work. 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. Found many voices to challenge his testimony, too roof of the across. His way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire head. Robert Ian 12 Bingley ormondroyd, Robert Ian 12 Bingley ormondroyd, Richard John 12 Bingley,. 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