Remember the 56 * Edit and Ian Hambridge*

Henry Irving

29 years ago 56 people died as a result of a fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade.

Some people may find the video distressing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXRp3qzEPiI

Dave2l

I've seen it, it's horrific. The sole reason why stewards now placed in football stadiums.

RIP.

Henry Irving

Recollections

http://bradfordcityfire.co.uk/

PL54

Minute's silence at Anfield today ?

bobmunro

Never forgotten.

Rest in peace.

RedPanda

That looks to be a typo, it's 29 years.

It was before my time but the video is possibly the worst thing I've ever seen, a horrific and senseless loss of life. It could have happened anywhere. I guess at least thanks to post-Bradford improvements such accidents should never happen again.

RugbyAddick

PL54 said:

Minute's silence at Anfield today ?

Hopefully

cfgs

Part of the training into fire development was studying that, horrific to think they were all locked in with no escape. Terrible also to think their deaths are so over looked.

RIP

stilladdicted

Please don't use people's deaths to score points. RIP

Kap10

Won't watch the video again, I have tremendous respect for the Liverpool '96 and campaign that supports them , but I do believe that Bradford, Ibrox and even Heysel should not be forgotten and now the appropriate processes are in place for the '96, there should be an annual British day of football remembrance for all fans .. surely we can all put aside our partisanship for that.

As an anecdote, I went to see us play Bradford at the rugby ground whilst the ground was rebuilt and stood next to two old northern codgers and had a great chat with them, believe we won 2-1 with Flash Flannagan scoring the winner.

Huskaris

I'm 23, never knew anything about this. I wish it was commemorated more to be honest, rather than just the deaths of the fans whose fellow fans shout the loudest (and most often)

There is a partisanship and a kinship to football fans, it's knowing when to express each that makes fans decent.

The_Organiser

Re Huskaris post:

I know Hillsborough (rightly or wrongly) gets a lot more media attention, esp in recent years but I'm still completley shocked to read that. Not sure its a generation thing cosmI'm 29 but have always been very aware of the Bradfird fire.

Henry Irving

Editted, it was a typo. 29 years, thanks RP.

The thread was meant to be about remembering the 56 not about cheap point scoring.

Shame it so soon got dragged down to that level.

But pleased if some younger fans become aware.

54 Bradford and 2 Lincoln fans died. RIP

bingaddick

I watched the you tube video of the unedited BBC commentary. The fire spread so quickly. Absolutely awful. What a terrible period that was, with Bradford and Heysel and Hillsborough. RIP the 56.

Huskaris

The Organiser said:

Re Huskaris post:

I know Hillsborough (rightly or wrongly) gets a lot more media attention, esp in recent years but I'm still completley shocked to read that. Not sure its a generation thing cosmI'm 29 but have always been very aware of the Bradfird fire.

I know! I had heard of it on here occasionally, but mostly from in the same breath as people complaining that Hillsborough gets all the attention in regards to fan fatalities.

I would consider myself quite a big football fan, and I had little or no knowledge of this... Terrible.

SheffieldRed

RIP.

Hopefully the families of the deceased and survivors of the disaster can gain some comfort in the fact that many people have had their lifes saved / improved by the improvements made to stadium design, stadium safety and burns treatment following the disaster.

WasCharleyOne

Absolutely awful day. RIP

LuckyReds

Huskaris said:

The Organiser said:

Re Huskaris post:

I know Hillsborough (rightly or wrongly) gets a lot more media attention, esp in recent years but I'm still completley shocked to read that. Not sure its a generation thing cosmI'm 29 but have always been very aware of the Bradfird fire.

I know! I had heard of it on here occasionally, but mostly from in the same breath as people complaining that Hillsborough gets all the attention in regards to fan fatalities.

I would consider myself quite a big football fan, and I had little or no knowledge of this... Terrible.

I'm not surprised you hadn't heard of it to be honest Huskaris, I'm at a similar age to you and in completely the same situation.

I'd heard it mentioned once or twice on here in discussions about other horrific incidents, and took the time to google it and read up on it. But never once do I remember being told about it or "educated" about it like the other incidents; incidents you just instinctively know about. Without this forum I would never have known about it.

It's a dreadful shame, no life is valued more than another - and each of those 56 also deserves some time taken for remembrance. No family should be lose someone who simply went to support their football team, similarly, no one should go to support their football team and never come back. RIP - and may we never see the like of these tragedies again.

northstandsteve

Just watched it for the first time since,watching it when it happened, truly horrific, God bless them all.

Leroy Ambrose

I remember this like it was yesterday. Absolutely brutal - one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen on tv. RIP

sadiejane1981

I'm too young to remember but agree no tragedy should be used to score points, each tragic death is significant, this fire was horrific, RIP to these poor 56 forever in the hearts of football fans everywhere.

red_murph

Just horrendous. RIP

oohaahmortimer

heard about this on the coach back from Maine Road , where City had just got promoted to the top flight ,after tonking us 5-1 in front of more fans than saw them claim the title today.
Listening on the radio it was hard to understand the nightmare of the incident that had happened but I don't think the amount of deaths were conveyed in the initial reporting that I heard , sad sad day
RIP the 56

MrOneLung

Not watched the clip but seem to recall a man totally immersed with flames seemingly just walking along.

RIP all.

Stig

I remember it well, it was absolutely shocking how quickly that fire swept through the stand. RIP to all.

I'm not getting anything out of that link though.

ForeverAddickted

Remember watching the video when I trained as a Fire Marshal at my previous job.

RIP to those who lost their lives... Going to watch a game of Football is every fan should return from afterwards

ChicagoAddick

Remember it vividly, although that video is truly shocking. I was at Welling that day, whilst Charlton were at Maine Road.

Never forget.

TEL

I remember it happening far too vividly. Ive watched the unedited version a few times over the years just as a way of remembering the dead...it was truly, truly horrendous and lets hope we never see the likes again at any sporting event. RIP the 56.

nth_london_addick

As a ten yr old boy I don't think I ever really understood the enormity of what was unfolding or why I certainly didn't know where Bradford was or if id ever really go there

But I sat infront of the TV watching the terrible pictures whilst my mum and dad were saying how terrible it was

And how sad before my dad told me I should go out the front and play as it was not for kids to watch

As I went out it was all anyone was talking about and did you see this not or that bit

I don't think I want to watch that again


Rip all who passed

Football was a different world then and I know that we sometimes say that it has been ruined by money but I don't think that could ever happen again after the report into it was concluded and the money that was spent on grounds

Simonsen

It happened the day we were at Manchester City seeing them thump us 5-1 in front of 47,000 to get promoted. While we were caught up in the euphoria at Maine Road (and it was proper euphoria) we had no idea that this was happening at Bradford. The contrast between the two events was extraordinary.

As an aside and for those that are too young to remember, the Bradford fire was one of the main reasons behind us leaving The Valley in 1985. After the fire, the Greater London Council carried out inspections of all London grounds and decided that our huge East Terrace wasn't fit for purpose (they were probably right as it was crumbling a bit in places) and we were forced to play the opening matches of 1985-86 with only three sides of the ground open and with a capacity of around 9,000.

Afternoon Delight

I remember watching it live on the television as a young lad. I managed to mainly forget what I had seen until it was shown at work 20 odd years later as part of my Fire Marshal training. I found myself welling up as it all came back. Terrible, terrible day.