There were no safe spaces, says George Ruddock, whose cousins Paul and Yvonne Ruddock died in hospital after the fire. Person, Sport / Games, Tragedy, Germany, Israel/Palestine, Romania. "With all the parents suffering, we want an answer," said Mr Francis, aged 75. There was a significant amount of racial tension across London. He had been traumatised by the death of his friends in the blaze.[7]. He died, aged 20 years, on 9 July 1983, after falling from the balcony of a block of council flats in South London. The story of the New Cross house fire of 1981, in which 13 young black British people died, and how its aftermath ignited an uprising by the black British community. As the clock ticked past midnight on 18 January 1981, a house party in New Cross, south-east London, was just getting started. Recommended option. My specialities are: - UX and human-centred design - user research - content. The first documented instances of St. Anthony's Fire. Yvonne's brother Paul, aged 22, also perished. Truth, Justice, and Expertise in 1980s Britain: the Cultural Politics of the New Cross Massacre. Lebanon police arrested 27-year-old Anthony Boisvert, of Lebanon, in connection with the incident. [12], The New Cross fire, described by Darcus Howe in 2011 as "the blaze we cannot forget", is significant as a turning point in the relationship between Black Britons, the police and the media, and marks an "intergenerational alliance to expose racism, injustices and the plight of black Britons". Weeks after the demonstration, Swamp 81, a plainclothes police operation, was launched in Brixton, South London, the heart of the black Briton community. The next morning he received a telephone call telling him Gerry was dead. Fern Tree Fire Brigade Deceased: 1992: Nigel Bruce HUME: Hobart Fire Brigade 1993: Kenneth Graeme HAMMOND: Fire Safety 1993: Neville Robert BINGHAM: Barrington Group 1993: James Maxwell SMITH: Stanley Fire Brigade 1994: Neil James MANNING: Tasmania Fire Service Deceased: 1994: Brian Edward RAINBIRD: Sorell Group 1994: William John BURKE: Hobart . He has published on inequality and the inner city in Britain, and his article Truth, Justice, and Expertise in 1980s Britain: the Cultural Politics of the New Cross Massacre appears inHistory Workshop Journal issue 91, where it is available on free access. Thirteen young black people were killed and the black community stood up and said, No, not this time., Uprising airs at 9pm on Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 July on BBC One. "I hope the people inside the house will be called to give evidence.". The fourteen victims of the New Cross massacre were: Rosaline Henry; Patricia Johnson; Humphrey Brown; Gerry Paul Francis; Owen Wesley Thompson; Andrew Gooding; Peter Campbell; Lloyd Hall; Patrick Cummings; Steve Collins; Yvonne Ruddock; Glenton Powell; Paul Ruddock; and Anthony Berbeck. But at 5.40am the joy turned to tragedy when a fire ripped through the house. ", "23 years on, new inquest opens into black youths killed in fire", "Coroner repeats open verdict on New Cross Fire 7 May 2004", "Preface to New Cross Massacre Story published by New Beacon Books", "Black People's Day Of Action: Inside The 1981 New Cross Fire March That Brought Britain To A Standstill", "New Cross Fire 13 dead and nothing said! (London and Sydney: Pluto Press, 1984); Darcus Howe, New Cross: the blaze we cannot forget. The Guardian, 17 Jan 2011. Email or phone: Password: . As the clock ticked past midnight on 18 January 1981, a house party in New Cross, south-east London, was just getting started. Police notes seen by the MoS state that a senior officer wrote in a 1993 Home Office briefing document: 'He (the arsonist) describes the motive for the fire as a stupid prank purely to scare the partygoers because they had refused them entry to the party.'. In towns and cities across England, concerts and readings were held to raise funds for the victims families and those injured escaping the fire. On 1 March, the Daily Mail falsely reported that several of the fire survivors were arrested and would face severe charges in what black Britons saw as an attempt to undermine the demonstration and the black communitys inquest into the house fire. Many black Britons believed that the National Front (NF), a fascist group, was responsible for those incidents as well as the New Cross Fire tragedy. Over the years, a number of reviews and follow-up enquiries have been conducted. 1 . Police found no evidence to support Smithymans confession, which was one of several made from inside jail between 1991 and 1993. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Theion TVnewsletter is a daily email full of suggestions of what to watch as well as the latest TV news, opinions and interviews. No disrespect to those who did try to help but a lot of so-called activists made their names off the back of the tragedy - TV appearances, radio shows, big jobs, said Mr Haynes. The New Cross Fire (January 18, 1981) On Sunday, January 18, 1981, thirteen black youths attending a birthday party in Deptford, South London was killed in an alleged racially-motivated house fire. OF ANTHONY BIRBECK, TN/83/42/37 LATE. [3] There had been some early complaints from neighbours about excessive noise from the party. Twenty-seven others were seriously injured. [2] The coroner said that the fire was probably started deliberately by one of the guests, but as he could not be sure of this, he returned an open verdict.[10]. Name. Initially. A source close to the inquiry said: 'Smithyman said he had a laugh with the arsonist while they were lying on a flat roof opposite the fire on the night. Racists like to boast about their accomplishments., The Black Peoples Day of Action demonstration (March 1981). We are old people and we want to know the truth before we die.". "There were no condolences from the government, there were no condolences from the palace," said Ms Ruddock. Initially. 13 Apr 1922, d. 21 Mar 2008 Citations Search by Name Search . Yet the survivors and bereaved families are still here waiting for compensation.. | Anthony Berbeck. After several subsequent failed inquests by The Metropolitan Police, (the Met) black Britons were convinced that the police had failed the black community by not treating the thirteen black youths deaths seriously. The silence over the loss of thirteen lives was also filled by music and poetry. A white Austin Princess car was seen driving away from the fire. A week after the fire, 2,000 mourners gathered at the Moonshot Youth Centre in South London to pay their respects and to devout themselves to the struggle for justice.. View this record View. The victims of the fire were all young Black, Mixed Race, British people between the ages of 14 and 22. Beaming Prince Harry and Meghan enjoy a date night at exclusive $4,200-A-YEAR Repli-Kate! Other occupants: Sylvia K Birbeck. Between 5:45 and 5:55 a.m. on Sunday 18 January 1981, a fire broke out in the front room of 439 New Cross Road in the London Borough of Lewisham. Ms Ruddock said she hoped people who had remained silent for years would finally reveal the truth about what happened, and has suggested there should be immunity for witnesses. After huge public pressure, the Metropolitan police wrote to the Attorney General in 2001, asking him to reopen the investigation. It was a profoundly moving act of memorialisation and defiance. If we could retire at a reasonable age of 60 then it would open the workforce to the new generation. It was through the assembly of the people that black-Britons discovered that the police was forcing statements out of black youths without lawyers or parents being present. Anthony Birbeck is on Facebook. A memorial service which was originally planned to mark the 40th anniversary on Sunday, January . Mr Haynes, who jumped from a window, suffered life-changing injuries including 140 skin grafts from first degree burns. Jeremy Vine reveals his 'first collision of the year' and it's caused by a cyclist! In 2017, the "13 Dead, Nothing Said"[27] exhibition was hosted at Goldsmiths College, University of London. And he went and kissed his father and that was the last we saw of my son. Mr Haynes said: "I have been burnt from my fingers right up to the tops of my arms. Lovers rock tracks pumped from a sound system as revellers jostled for space on the dancefloor. See Photos . An inquest was held into the deaths in May 1981, but an open verdict was returned; the jury could not (or would not) specify the cause. Commander Stephen Allen, from the Metropolitan Police, said: "Part of the way we police now comes out of the terrible riots and disorders that we saw in the 1980's, where we came to an understanding that we had to relate differently to the people we work for.". Sir Collins, who lost his son Steven in the fire, produced a whole album in tribute to the thirteen young Black Britonsthe album features Stevens voice, recorded when he was much younger. Smithyman and his friend may well have come to the door and couldnt get in but someone wouldve at least remembered two white boys approaching the venue - but nobody recalls this. What is that? Leverage your professional network, and get hired. He is Professor of Medieval Studies at Birkbeck, University of London and from 2017 to 2021 was Executive Dean of the School of Arts, and has written widely on medieval Christian-Jewish relations and on medieval culture and literature. We needed to give it the platform itdeserved.. By 2015, huge parts of the promenade collapsed during a storm and a fire set some of the buildings ablaze including the clock tower. Nine people were killed and 20 injured in a blaze which engulfed a house early this morning in south London. "The phone rang the next morning. Despite this, it wasnt long before the police began to blame the victims. View the profiles of people named Anthony Cross. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. People started panicking and screaming. Thirteen young people were killed, more than 50 injured and one guest - Anthony Berbeck - died two years later at the age of 20. She received her medical degree from University. Its a state ofbarbarism.. [13], The Action Committee organised a "Black People's Day of Action" on 2 March, when 20,000 people marched over a period of eight hours from Fordham Park to Hyde Park carrying placards that bore statements including: "Thirteen Dead, Nothing Said", "No Police Cover-Up" and "Blood Aga Run If Justice Na Come". Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Protesters with Owen Thompson memorial poster, Black Peoples Day of Action, Fordham Park, New Cross, March 2, 1981. In October 2002, Lewisham council installed a special stained-glass window at the church in their memory. Linton Kwesi Johnson, the Jamaican-born Dub poet, describes the day of action as the most powerful expression of black political power this country has ever seen. This Government doesnt care about the people of this country, whether theyre Black or white; theyre quite happy to have in-fighting in this country among the racists and religions in this country because it helps them to keep control, Mr Haynes said. The New Cross fire in South London in 1981 prompted a campaign for political action over allegations of a totally inadequate response from police and government. Protesters travelled from across England to attend the eight-hour march, which set off from Fordham Park in New Cross a short walk from the scene of the fire. They were known as the bullies in blue, says Leila Hassan Howe, who in 1981 was a member of the Race Today Collective in Brixton. Cross Fire: With Han Lu, Lei Wu, Shuailiang Liu, Francis Wong. Corroborated eyewitness accounts placed a white man in an Austin Princess vehicle at the New Cross Fire scene. 2023 London Remembers, All Rights Reserved. The New Cross fire is still regarded by many as the greatest tragedy to affect Britain's black community. I shouted for help. Name. EXCLUSIVE: Revealed: Prison reform boss who drunkenly beat her husband every day after downing white wine Kyiv says Moscow's claims of a Ukrainian attack within Russia are 'a deliberate provocation': False flag Dirtiest places in your work kitchen revealed by grim swabbing test. After being turned away, the other boy whom he named began the fire in revenge. It featured contributions from Alex Pascall, Gus John, filmmaker Menelik Shabazz, novelist Courttia Newland and musicians Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson. Police initially thought the inferno was caused by a firebomb thrown through a downstairs window. A short service of Remembrance will take place on Friday 17 January at 11a.m. He died, aged 20 years, on 9 July 1983, after falling from the balcony of a block of council flats in South London. It began on the evening of Saturday, 17 January 1981, and continued throughout the night and into the early hours of Sunday, 18 January.[5]. Feelings of anger in the black community were compounded by the fact that neither the Queen nor the government of the day, under Margaret Thatcher, offered formal condolences to the families of the New Cross fire victims. Mr Haynes told BBC London what he remembered of the night. Almost all victims of the blaze on January 18, 1981, were teenagers and all were black. Please use the search above if you cannot find the record you require. Others carried loudspeakers and banners bearing the names and faces of thevictims. From April to the end of the summer of 1981, several significant uprisings occurred in various British cities. 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