The scene in there was one of silence and shock. 56 fans died as a fire broke out at the game at Valley Parade, 54 Bradford supporters and two from opponents Lincoln City. ", Ian Ormondroyd is searching for Valley Parade memories, A Bradford landmark - and a focus for many memories. Moira Helen Hodgson (15) Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. by tim_noone Fri May 11, 2018 10:08 pm, Post [10][11], Bradford's Telegraph & Argus newspaper published a souvenir issue for 11 May, entitled, "Spit and Polish for the Parade Ground". He said: We just want to try to reach out to the local community around the ground and see if anybody out there that remembers the day can come forward and talk about it.. "The family photographs seemed to mock you, too. The blaze broke. Thoughts and prayers to the 56 who lost their lives in this truly awful and harrowing tragedy. Ran home and put the television on." It's right to know why it happened." [3], At the age of 33, Ormondroyd retired from football due to arthritis in his left ankle.[4]. [51] Another book; 56: The Story of the Bradford Fire (2015) was written by Martin Fletcher to discuss how the disaster was caused, and follows his loss of his father, brother, uncle and grandfather. As you said, Herts. by Silkyskills1 Fri May 11, 2018 1:36 pm, Post A facility that holds and maintains Kearsarge Regional School District buses exploded into flames Thursday morning trapping two people inside. Another player went into the office space to ensure there was nobody there. Frederick Norman Middleton (84) The book also raises concerns about the speed of the inquiry and the fact that it commenced a few weeks after the fire and lasted for only a few days, whereas other inquiries into similar incidents, pre and post the Bradford fire, have taken years to come to fruition and months to be heard. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. Simon Neil Ward (18) Previous warnings had also been given about a major . 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. Performance Analyst and Player Welfare Officer: Robbie Bloodworth. 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. Arsenal fanzine lives to fight another season, Donation to Islington Boxing Club proves to be a real knockout. "[16] As spectators began to cascade over the wall separating the stand from the pitch, the linesman on that side of the pitch informed referee Norman Glover, who stopped the game with three minutes remaining before half-time. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. Reading back the transcript in a 21st-century, Hillsborough Inquiry environment you expect this to be the moment when Popplewell pushes Woolley to elaborate. The speed at which fire engulfs the entire stand is insane. It's gone," he says. 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." There were 49 of us who travelled to Bradford on that day and just 47 came home. The project, which began in February this year, is now. We talk in the anonymous surroundings of his publisher's, in Bloomsbury's Bedford Square. Instead, there is nothing. England won the re-match 64. Fans flee to the pitch to avoid the flames in the wooden main stand, Mr Justice Popplewell, who led the inquiry into the fire, at the 'Turnstile Shrine' in the stadium (Rex), Martin Fletcher, author of '56: The Story of the Bradford Fire', A relative of one of the victims breaks down amid the ruins of the stadium (Rex), Thirty years after football's 'forgotten tragedy', the truth of what exactly happened when 56 people died in a fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium remains elusive, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Claims the disaster was started deliberately 'nonsense', Archives reveal the desperate rush to conjure an explanation, New evidence casts more doubt on verdictfirewas accident, BradfordCitystadiumfire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off and extra perks with Booking.com Genius membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off selected items using this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Bradford City have announced that the JCT600 Stand will be open today for fansto come and reflect on the tragedy and pay their respects. 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. "Why is it coming out now? Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, Ormondroyd played for Bradford City, Oldham Athletic, Aston Villa, Derby County, Leicester City, Hull City and Scunthorpe United. David James Crabtree (30) The 1984/85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. The community, principally Bangladeshi, had no links then to the football club and many could not speak English, but they still helped. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Paula Helliwell, Unheard Voices project manager, said they wanted to hear from more residents who helped with the rescue effort outside Valley Parade, with the intention of recounting unheard stories from the time. Walter Kerr (76) [57] Following the 30th anniversary of the fire, a number of news organisations named this man as Eric Bennett who was visiting his nephew in Bradford from Australia and attended the game on the day. Whenever I read the roll call of the dead of this tragedy, and its inherent tales of familial loss, it truly brings a lump to my throat. Superbly handcrafted and hand-painted for incredible detailing, this masterpiece features fully sculpted figures of a firefighter, police officer, and EMT gleaming with a hand-applied metallic bronze finish. 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. talk all about the game and how big this win is for Ten Hag's men. by Imploding Turtle Fri May 11, 2018 8:35 am, Post [31] In 1988, the first compensation payments were made to survivors of the fire, with over 40 people receiving up to 40,000 each. 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 . Bradford played its part in that. [13], The match kicked off at 3:04pm and after forty minutes of the first half, the score remained 00,[14] in what was described as a drab affair with neither team threatening to score. In terms of property types, flats in Ormondroyd Avenue sold for an average of 43,868 and terraced houses for 78,013. The theatre production moved on to London last week, its players and writers wondering as they packed up what the response would be, in the capital city, to a subject even less well known and understood beyond the Yorkshire boundaries. Frederick Hindle (76) Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. The local Bradford Telegraph and Argus has found many voices to challenge his testimony, too. Derek Dempsey (46) He says he wants people to "look back on it in decades to come and think that somebody did some good work here and that the local fans and local people showed what the club meant to them and how much the club meant to the local community. Sylvia Lund Pollard (69) "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. 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. More than 250 others were injured in one of the. Harold Mitchell (79) It is a simple account laid out for all to see. While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. 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 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. Robert Ian Ormondroyd (12) We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. by tim_noone Fri May 11, 2018 11:37 pm, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited, This Forum is the main messageboard to discuss all things Claret and Blue and beyond. His son, Jack, plays rugby league for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League.[5][6][7]. 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. Arthur Hartley (79) Editors' Code of Practice. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. [17], One witness saw paper or debris on fire, about nine inches (230mm) below the floor boards. Samuel Firth (86) Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. Within minutes the fire had spread through the stand due to the windy conditions with some fans claiming that they could feel their feet getting warmer as debris began to burn below them. 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. What started as smoke rising from a r. The horrific scenes of people burning alive seemed to live on in an eerie silence as daylight broke over the remains of Bradford City Football Club's ground yesterday. A half dozen walked out. There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. #RIP56 pic.twitter.com/w2OyUxT5as, Never forgotten #rip56 #bcafc ? [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. [11], The disaster also had a long-lasting effect on the fans. "I think if we go out there and ask local people who've been in a house for 24 or 25 years, a lot of their memories will be about that. 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. My friend was there in the stand opposite that one. Elizabeth JONES. Led by former Leeds United and England international Trevor Cherry, the Bantams won only their third divisional title and earned a return to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1937. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. Video via Citizen. 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. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. 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. 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. The files show how the possibility of arson was not even touched upon or tested. ", ""This is more about the fans, the people and the ground - even the people who don't come to the ground."". The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. He was helped out of the stand by other fans and spent a period of time in hospital. When this house was purchased in December 2020 the House Price Index for WEST YORKSHIRE was 129.5. 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. 28 years today; the Bradford City fire disaster. 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 was his first and last football match. 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. And there are also repeated references to the smell of burning plastic. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. Police have revealed the identity of the man who they believe was responsible for . Ian says that Bantamspast is about much more than just the football: "It's where people come socially. He and the children all perished, along with the boys' father. The project, which began in February this year, is now looking to hear from residents who helped with the rescue effort on the day. He survived but clearly his life was also shattered on that day. The horrible thing is reading that list the number of fatalities that were obviously families wiped out. Felix Winspear Greenwood (13) by ClaretMoffitt Fri May 11, 2018 9:08 am, Post 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. Head Physiotherapist: Dayle Avison. Since then, it has been further re-developed and, today, Valley Parade is a modern 25,136 all-seater stadium, which is virtually unrecognisable from how it was at the time of the disaster, save for the original clubhouse that still stands beside the main stand, and the flank support wall that runs down the Hollywell Ash Lane at the "Bradford End". The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. 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. Many of the residents, who were mostly Bangladeshi, took people into their homes, brought out blankets and drinks and let them use their home telephones. Down there in the blackness lay tissues of debris which were testament to the ramshackle stadium's neglect. Howard Malcolm Turner (41) Police worked until 4am the next morning, under lighting, to remove all the bodies. Amanda Jayne Roberts (20) Ian Ormondroyd CEO at Bradford City FC Community Foundation Bradford Bradford City FC Community Foundation David ORMONDROYD Account Executive at Planet Ottawa, ON Planet, +4 more Carleton. I don't know where Falconer is getting this cock-and-bull story from the inaccuracies in this report [documentary] are dumbfounding. Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. A sad, sad day in the history of English football. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. 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. ";s:4:"text";s:3462:" Visit us for exclusive Galen Center Special Events throughout the year! William James West (78) 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. At the time of the disaster, many stadiums had perimeter fencing between the stands and the pitch to prevent incidents of football hooliganism particularly pitch invasions which were rife during the 1980s. -- Eleven people were injured, including four in critical condition, when a fire broke out at an apartment building in Bradford West Gwillimbury Monday afternoon. 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. He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. 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. [26], 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. I dont praise the Folk of Yorkshire cheaply, but their Dignity, Self Respect, and Stoicism is a great credit to them. 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. 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. Fire crews from . by Herts Clarets Fri May 11, 2018 1:13 pm, Post They are performed once every 10 years. I also knew the Club Secretary Terry Newman very well. by ecc Fri May 11, 2018 12:36 pm, Post Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. Topic: 25 years ago today, the Bradford City disaster. That stand went up so quick youd think it was made of petrol. He and his mother rattled around in the beautiful detached Nottingham home afterwards and the place "was almost mocking you, like the birds in the trees," he says. Bradford Council has tweeted: "@WYFRS are dealing with a fire within one of the buildings at a school on Thornton View Road BD14. Used to go there regularly in the 70's as a student and it was just the same. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Of the 56people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. Most of the exits at the back were locked or shut and there were no stewards present to open them, but seven were forced open or found open. Whilst the boundary of the original brief was defined by the inner ring road, the University highlighted the significance of buildings just outside the boundary, inclusive of the National Media Museum, Alhambra Theatre and the new . [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. Edmund Anderton (68) 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. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. RIP to those who died and condolences to all persons connected to Bradford City Football Club. Only now, in 56: The Story of the Bradford Fire (Bloomsbury, 16.99) has he completed a 15-year quest to challenge history's interpretation of why the fire broke out. I've never seen anything like it. Remembering the Bradford fire. As he received the injured at Bradford Royal Infirmary he was able to call upon 10% of the UK's population of plastic surgeons. by ashtonlongsider Fri May 11, 2018 6:28 am, Post "I wept with joy," she says. Still one of the two or three most haunting videos I've ever seen. Valley Parade still marks the names of the 56 supporters whose lives were claimed in the fire: John Douglas Ackroyd (32) For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. [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. ACKROYD, John Douglas, 32, Baildon . 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. No follow up question. [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. The Valley Parade stadium, long-established home to Bradford City Football Club, had been noted for its antiquated design . [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." 1 . [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. 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. RF 2J1GRGW - Liam Byrne #20 of Wigan Warriors looks for a way past Jack Ormondroyd #19 of Salford Red Devils. A Gannett Company. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover James' connections and jobs at similar companies. Scott Richard Advertisement The fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. at the site. Its always so disturbing to see things like this that could have been so easily avoided with a little care. Whether they don't feel welcome, for instance. The names of the 56 victims of the Valley Parade Fire Disaster - 11 May 1985 . In the 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. by tim_noone Fri May 11, 2018 8:54 am, Post 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. Thats when I thought this is time to get out of here. [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. All that was left of the. [5] However, he also warned the club of a build-up of litter beneath the stand because of a gap between the seats. 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. Ian Ormondroyd, Bradford City Community Foundation manager and former Bantams striker, echoed the call for residents to come forward and contribute to the project. A further 265 fans were injured in the blazes that day, and describe. by Lord Beamish Fri May 11, 2018 2:35 pm, Post by Lord Beamish Fri May 11, 2018 12:44 am, Post He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. "It seemed that this should at least have been examined," Fletcher says. One day I went to a football match with my family and the next day, I woke up and didnt have a father, a brother, or a grandfather or an uncle, he would later say. ? pic.twitter.com/VkqiAEXBR8, billy clarke (@billyclarke7) May 11, 2016. Supporters either ran upwards to the back of the stand or downwards to the pitch to escape. ClaretMoffitt Posts: 3889 Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2016 7:19 pm . The Independent Magazine's own investigations, at the National Archive at Kew, bear out the nagging suspicions Fletcher always had. 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. ("And Dad being Dad, he blagged it all like a dream."). Regional Scout (Midlands): Stan Martin. A former Bradford City player is asking for people's memories of the club's past - both good and bad. by IanMcL Fri May 11, 2018 9:01 am, Post These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. Bradford Fire. The boy Fletcher discovered soon enough how boundlessly and profoundly life-affecting the afternoon would prove to be. Tributes have been pouring in from all corners of the footballing world as today marks 31 years since the Bradford City fire disaster. The Bradford City stadium fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of football. [8][10] Three men smashed down one door and at least one exit was opened by people outside, which again helped prevent further deaths. 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. 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. 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. Norman Hall (71) Four police officers, constables David Britton and John Richard Ingham and chief inspectors Charles Frederick Mawson and Terence Michael Slocombe, and two spectators, Richard Gough and David Hustler, were awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for their actions. ", Ian says he's hoping the Bantamspast project will look at a side of the club which hasn't been revealed before: "This is more about the fans, the people and the ground - even the people who don't come to the ground.". by bfcmik Fri May 11, 2018 11:05 am, Post The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. 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. This biographical article related to association football in England, about a forward born in the 1960s, is a stub.