11 May 1985

Never Forgotten

11 May 1985

 

As the Town Hall bells boomed out eleven o'clock, the sky began to cry gently onto the crowd gathered around the memorial to the Valley Parade fire. 

The light spots of rain were almost a physical expression of the pain still felt twenty-nine years on from the afternoon when fifty-six people did not come home from a football match. The rain drops also reflected the quiet dignity that has marked the public way that Bradford has long dealt with the aftermath of the terrible tragedy that befell us on that sunny May afternoon. 

In the year that the world begins to remember the centenary of the Great War, it is perhaps appropriate to reflect on the fact that how the Bradford fire is remembered will inevitably change. 

Personal communications have been transformed in recent years. Today we have instant communication. In the aftermath of the fire people queued to use telephone boxes to let relatives know that they were OK. I was standing in the Paddock that fateful day and until I walked into the house my family had no idea if I was alive or dead. 

Today we can hand out praise or condemnation in an instant. Those opinions will be read by thousands, potentially millions, in the blink of an eye in all parts of the globe. Our brilliant ideas, and our very worst, are there for all to witness. We can judge and be judged in an instant. 

The Bradford fire used to be publicly remembered once a year at 11am in Centenary Square. Today it can be remembered by websites and social media and shared by millions on their laptops and mobile phones. How the fire is remembered can be compared to how others remember similar tragedies. 

Hillsborough seems to be the benchmark. A small number of fans appear to be outraged if the fire fails to receive a one minute silence at other clubs matches or saturation media coverage. There were even unsubstantiated reports of fans being berated for not joining in the applause in the 56th minute of last season's League Cup Final. 

That aspect saddens me. We are not in some kind of grief competition with Liverpool or any other club. The events, and more importantly aftermath, of Hillsborough were completely different to what occurred at Valley Parade. There are very good reasons why Hillsborough has received such a high media profile. That tragedy has been kept in the public spotlight because it had unresolved issues and ones that had to be campaigned hard for. I have long been a supporter of the Justice campaign and I can only admire the tenacity of the victims families who have had to not only deal with their personal grief, but also have had to fight institutionalised attempts to smear the victims and avoid the truth of Hillsborough. I sincerely hope that they finally find the closure (such as it can be) they richly deserve. 

As the rain fell gently upon us, and Phil Parkinson became the first City manager to make a reading at the memorial service, I was reminded that we have been lucky to have been able to deal with the fire in our own way. Sheltered from the mass media, Bradford quietly did its own thing. 

Future generations will remember 11 May 1985 differently, that is inevitable. The fact that they wish to remember must be a good thing. We who were there on that terrible afternoon should not preach to them, but gently remind them of how, and why, we have chose to remember it. 

11 May 1985 - Never Forgotten

On Reflection …

In the wake of the club’s lowest position in the Football League since 1966, and the ongoing debate as to whether Bradford City will continue to play at Valley Parade, the 26th anniversary of the fire disaster was a timely reminder and it helped to place the club’s current travails into perspective. As the flowers were piled around the memorial to the 56 fans who died on 11 May 1985 I did wonder whether Bradford City could ever leave Valley Parade while the generation who survived the fire remain active supporters of the club?

Of course, time and tide wait for no man and come 1 July 2011 there will only be a smattering of the curious and historically aware, gathered at the memorial to the Bradford Pals, to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. On that single day over a thousand young Bradfordians were mown down by machine guns and artillery fire on the blackest day in Bradford’s history. Yet less than a century on the anniversary will pass largely unnoticed. One day the Valley Parade fire will slowly fade into history, but the tears that were shed during the soft singing of ‘Abide with me’ illustrate that our disaster is still raw in the memory.

11 May 1985

Today marks the twenty sixth anniversary of the fire disaster. As talks go on regarding the future viability of Valley Parade, we pause to remember the 56 supporters who died and the hundreds more who were injured. We will post images and a short report of the memorial service in the city centre later today.

11 May 2010

bantamspast's David Pendleton has attended many of the events commemorating the 25th anniversary of the tragic fire which left 56 people dead and many more injured. You can see some of his pictures from the day here.

BBC marks May 11 1985 - an update

As reported previously, the BBC's Football Focus presented their programme from Valley Parade prior to the final home game of the season, in order to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fire tragedy. Since then, Dan Walker has written a personal view of the broadcast in his blog, including extracts from the programme itself.

11 May 1985

Twenty five years on from the fire Bradford will once again pause to remember its darkest day in modern times. The Archbishop of York will lead the service in Centenary Square at 11am. Given the significance of the anniversary a stage has been erected so the expected large crowds can view the event. We understand that this year admission to City Hall will be by invitation only.

At 2.50pm the Lord Mayor of Bradford, and his counterpart from Hamm, will rededicate Hamm Strasse and unveil a new marker stone at its junction with Manningham Lane. The road was named after the German town in recognition of the support the people of Hamm gave to Bradford in its hour of need. Hamm of course donated the memorial in Centenary Square.

Valley Parade will be open from 3pm so people can be in the ground at the actual time of the fire. In the evening Bradford Cathedral is holding a service of remembrance which commences at 7.30pm.

picture by Carl Bromwich

BBC marks May 11 1985

As many of you will know, the BBC's flagship football preview programme, Football Focus, was broadcast live from Valley Parade yesterday, May 1st. Stuart McCall, Terry Yorath, John Hendrie, John Helm, City Gent editor Mike Harrison, former T&A reporter David Markham, Gabby Logan and many more appeared in a moving tribute to those who perished in the Bradford Fire.

Gabby Logan also described her memories of the day on Radio 4's Archive Hour.

11 May 1985…

City fan Nick Kitchen will be giving a presentation about the signed football from 1985 he has recently loaned to the bantamspast museum. The ball features the signatures of the team that won the Third Division Championship in 1985. The celebrations were, of course, tragically cut short by the fire that killed fifty six fans. Twenty five years on from that sobering event Nick will give his perspective on those times. The talk will commence at 2pm and as ever admission is completely free of charge.

A More Fitting Reminder

The support of the people of the German town of Hamm in the wake of the fire disaster was one of the positive things to emerge from the blackest day in modern Bradford's history. Hamm, of course, provided the memorial that still stands in Centenary Square and it provides the centrepiece for the annual commemoration on 11 May. In recognition of the support of the people of Hamm the new ring road that joined Canal Road with Manningham Lane was named Hamm Strasse.


Today, only a couple of small plaques reminds people of the link with the fire disaster. With the twenty fifth anniversary of the fire due in May, David Pendleton of the bantamspast museum thought it would be fitting if the road was rededicated. With the aid of Councillor David Ward the idea of a re-dedication, and a new marker to remind passersby of the kindness shown towards our city by the people of Hamm, has moved closer to fruition. On Thursday the two Davids met Bradford City Centre managed Bob Parker who has offered his support to the scheme. Bob is now pricing up differing sizes of a stone marker which it is hoped will stand at the junction of Hamm Strasse and Manningham Lane.

It is expected that the new marker will be in place for 11 May 2010 and we are looking to invite local dignitaries from Hamm to rededicate the road during the early afternoon of the twenty-fifth anniversary.