Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. We had not been told anything. Their initial aim at that time was to promote BCFC in the community by increasing the fan base and awareness of the Club. For the first-minute people were laughing and joking, it wasnt anything serious, he told the BBC in 2015. It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. [36], 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. 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. [27], Explaining his decision, Sir Joseph Cantley stated: "As I have already stated, the primary duty was on the Club and the functions of the County Council were supervisory and its liability is for negligent breach of a common law duty arising out of the way in which they dealt with or ignored their statutory powers. 05/12/15 AT 9:58 AM BST. 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. Bradford played its part in that. "[59], 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'. 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. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). But it was too late for the 56 fans that went to a football match and never returned who are still remembered, not just by those in Bradford and Lincoln, but by football fans throughout the country. The speed of the fire was astonishing. 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.[54]. 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. In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, celebrate United's League Cup win by listening to Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) 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. Tributes have been pouring in from all corners of the footballing world as today marks 31 years since the Bradford City fire disaster. And Bradford seemed happy with it: five days of testimony, a 27-page report and everyone moved on. [34], During the case, Sir Joseph Cantley stated that: "It is only right that I should say that I think it would be unfair to conclude that Heginbotham, Tordoff, the Board of Directors, or any of them, were intentionally and callously indifferent to the safety of spectators using the stand. They were immediately promoted back to the Football League in 1988, and survived for 23 years before being relegated again in 2011. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. 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. 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. A former Bradford City player is asking for people's memories of the club's past - both good and bad. 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. They are performed once every 10 years. Harold Mitchell (79) Elizabeth JONES. 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. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. 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. Fifty-six people were killed in the fire that engulfed an old wooden stand at Bradford City's Valley Parade ground on the final day of the 1984-85 season. 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. The fundraising events included a reunion of the 1966 World Cup Final Starting XI that began with the original starting teams of both England and West Germany, and was held at Leeds United's stadium, Elland Road, in July 1985 to raise funds for the Appeal fund. by IanMcL Fri May 11, 2018 9:01 am, Post Down there in the blackness lay tissues of debris which were testament to the ramshackle stadium's neglect. When a memorial service was held on the pitch later in summer, part of it was in Urdu and Punjabi in recognition. Lincoln City supporter Chris Ashton shared his experience of the disaster in an interview with the Lincolnshire Echo, saying: I remember it being just before half-time and out of the corner of my eye I became conscious of the smoke coming from a section of the stand opposite. Gregg Ormondroyd, 31, grew closer to his wife Donna's carer, Anne Robinson Donna collapsed and stopped breathing two years ago and was put in a coma She was brought out of the coma later but has. When this house was purchased in December 2020 the House Price Index for WEST YORKSHIRE was 129.5. [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. Bradford City initially prospered in the Second Division only missing out on promotion to the First Division in 1988 after failing to beat Ipswich Town at home on the final day of their first full season back at Valley Parade. by Maja Fri May 11, 2018 8:45 am, Post It was a massive tragedy for everybody at the club.". ANDERTON, Edmund, 68, Bingley Fletcher has taken facts and presented them in such a way that it should make it moralistically impossible for this incident not to be looked at again. We are trying to find people who came out of the ground and were helped by people in the community. He was actually one of the detectives involved in one of the gravest miscarriages of justices in the country, the murder of Carol Wilkinson in Bradford, where someone was locked up for 20 years for a murder he didn't commit."[60]. Video via Citizen. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. The timber construction of St. Andrew's Stand, Main Stand and the roof of its popular Railway End terrace were immediately condemned as fire hazards, which saw seating capacity briefly cut to nil. ";s:4:"text";s:3462:" Visit us for exclusive Galen Center Special Events throughout the year! 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. Hundreds of others were injured. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. Agree with the above, the most horrific scenes ever seen at football. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. I also knew the Club Secretary Terry Newman very well. Tickets are $20 each, and all proceeds will go toward funding the purchase of two new twin custom KME fire trucks for the department.. He was helped out of the stand by other fans and spent a period of time in hospital. We stayed in the pub for hours. Used to go there regularly in the 70's as a student and it was just the same. The 1984/85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford Citys 82-year history. We talk in the anonymous surroundings of his publisher's, in Bloomsbury's Bedford Square. Frederick Norman Middleton (84) 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. [3], At the age of 33, Ormondroyd retired from football due to arthritis in his left ankle.[4]. RIP. All that was left of the. 56 fans died as a fire broke out at the game at Valley Parade, 54 Bradford supporters and two from opponents Lincoln City. It was his first and last football match. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover James' connections and jobs at similar companies. The project, which began in February this year, is now looking to hear from residents who helped with the rescue effort on the day. It's why he gravitated to London and the enclosed spaces, moving to Brixton when his first base became gentrified. The files show how the possibility of arson was not even touched upon or tested. People smothered him to extinguish the flames, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. Ian Ormondroyd, Bradford City Community Foundation manager and former Bantams striker, echoed the call for residents to come forward and contribute to the project. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. 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. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. Roy Mason (74) Herbert Price (78) Didn't realise gabby Logan was doing a documentary now on BT To Add there were some nice floral tributes there today. Yeah footage is horrendous isn't it. [56], On 17 April 2015, retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer, in a report by the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, said the police were aware of an Australian man who admitted to starting the fire. A sad, sad day in the history of English football. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Eric Hudson (72) Published on 28/02/2023. The players were told to go to the pub at the top of the road, John Hendrie would later reveal. 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. Peter Fletcher (32) The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. As Ian puts it: "Bradford's been on a big rollercoaster over the past ten years and previously. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Those who helped are reluctant heroes now. Fifty-four Bradford City supporters and two Lincoln fans would die in the horror, the youngest were three 11-year old boys, the oldest being the clubs former chairman, Sam Firth who was 86. 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. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. This user liked this post: claretjohn33505. The fire was merciless and took victims as young as 11 and as old as 86. 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 memories of Bradford City FC - both positive and negative. I remember watching it unfold on tv, it was heartbreaking. The Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department recently announced a raffle to win a 2022 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew. In terms of property types, flats in Ormondroyd Avenue sold for an average of 43,868 and terraced houses for 78,013. He lit a cigarette and when it was coming to an end he put it down on to the floorboard and tried to put his foot on it to put it out. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. There are . Performance Analyst and Player Welfare Officer: Robbie Bloodworth. Supporters either ran upwards to the back of the stand or downwards to the pitch to escape. I was at a Scout camp at Bowley, we were listening to it on the radio in our tent..such a terrible tragedy. Editors' Code of Practice. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. by tiger76 Fri May 11, 2018 11:31 pm, Post As Bantams Community Manager, Ian hopes it will reveal what people living around the ground really think. Christopher Hammond, who was 12 on the day, said on the 20th anniversary of the fire: "As a 12-year-old, it was easy to move on I didn't realise how serious it was until I looked at the press coverage over the next few days. [5] However, he also warned the club of a build-up of litter beneath the stand because of a gap between the seats. 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. It provides football coaching and education to young people, works with youngsters aged between 16 and 18 on the National Citizen Service and has done several projects in the local community. "So yes, it's right that these old questions be asked now. ', Bradford City Fire Website messages of condolence from around the world, "Chuckle Brothers' single for Bradford City fire anniversary", "Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire", "Emotive play of Bradford City fire disaster raises cash for burns unit", "Book Review: Four Minutes to Hell: The Story of the Bradford City Fire by Paul Firth football book reviews", "Football Focus 1st May 2010 Bradford City Part 1", Bradford City A year of healing Documentary, "Bradford fire: expert demands new investigation into blaze", "Bradford City stadium fire 1985 IPCC investigation decision", "BRADFORD CITY FIRE: Accidental cause of tragedy 'not in any doubt', says detective", "Bradford City fire 'started by cigarette', "Bradford City fire: Briton attacks 'inaccurate' BBC documentary claiming his uncle started blaze", "Bradford fire: Sir Oliver Popplewell defends 1985 inquiry interview in full", Living with Jacko From Touchline to Lifeline, Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire, The full Interim Report by Lord Popplewell into the Bradford City Fire, British Medical Journal article on the treatment of burns casualties after the Bradford City Fire, Peter Jackson's account of the Bradford City Fire, Nationally broadcast Yorkshire Television programme covering the fire, broadcast the following day, ITN bulletin covering the fire, also from the following day, ITN bulletin covering the aftermath, from three days later, Chelsea F.C. , John Hendrie would later reveal similar companies died of his injuries in hospital managed. 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