Required fields are marked *. One eyewitness reportedly saw a man throw a missile at the house. The New Cross house fire was a fire that occurred during a party at a house in New Cross, south-east London, in the early hours of Sunday, 18 January 1981.The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22, and one survivor killed himself two years later. When the Black community locks shop and puts up a wall of silence regarding what goes on within our community - nothing comes out. . A short service of Remembrance will take place on Friday 17 January at 11a.m. 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. A 14th victim died in 1983. 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. THAMES NEWS 17.8.83 INQUEST INTO DEATH. 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. Initially. The firm's ledgers show that M B . New Cross Fire Anniversary 39th anniversary of the New Cross Fire, when 14 young people tragically lost their lives at a house fire in New Cross Road in 1981. The house fire occurred during a party at a property on New Cross Road. Anthony Grayling CBE, MA, DPhil (Oxon) FRSL, FRSA is Master of the New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. See Photos . Mr Haynes, who jumped from a window, suffered life-changing injuries including 140 skin grafts from first degree burns. Peter Bleksley, a police constable in Peckham in 1981, says his colleagues joked that New Cross should be renamed Blackfriars. Post Coronavirus lockdown I have returned to seeing clients face to face but am continuing to . True justice would look like 65 Black people, who were affected by the fire, being made multi millionaires by the Government where they havent received compensation, the 58-year-old said. When safety doesn't come first! The investigation and the inquiry was bungled. The blaze broke out on 18 January 1981 at a joint birthday party for Yvonne Ruddock and Angela Jackson at 439 New Cross Road in Lewisham. From April to the end of the summer of 1981, several significant uprisings occurred in various British cities. About me. 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.. See Photos. Volunteers took statements from partygoers because of the black communitys deep mistrust of the police. Covering: Cooke Township, Newville Borough, North Newton Township, Penn Township, South Newton Township, West Pennsboro Township, Lower Mifflin Township, Upper Mifflin Township, Upper Frankford Township Office Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm [40], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}512833N 00149W / 51.4757N 0.0304W / 51.4757; -0.0304, Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:53, "Inquest begins into 14 victims of 1981 fire", "Report says New Cross fire was not race attack", "Did the New Cross fire create a black British identity? A lot of people refuse to do their research because they want to believe that a white person did it; how did the alleged white arsonist get past the doors and into the party?. CROSS-FIRE & SECURITY CO.,INC. Warning chocolate lovers ultra-processed foods might make you depressed, study claims. 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True justice would look like 65 Black people, who were affected by the fire, being made multi millionaires by the Government where they havent received compensation, Mr Haynes said. Hassan Howe tells i: It was drizzling and I wondered if people would come. Name. 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. The show focuses on two young men that were both attracted by the game Cross Fire and mainly tells us how they fight for their dreams of being a professional player. Anthony Shepherd, . A survivor of the New Cross fire of 1981 which killed 13 Black partygoers has dismissed fresh allegations of police cover-up after renewed speculation that the blaze was started by a racist arsonist. [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". My wife started screaming. Read More About Us. Upstairs, oblivious partygoers were dancing to The Wailing Souls Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall. I will always remember him as I saw him the night of the party. 1 . Despite this, it wasnt long before the police began to blame the victims. The final day of 47-year-old Lindsay's life, August 12, 2019, had begun with a shopping trip with her daughter Sarah, to buy a new school uniform. The loss of so many of his friends became intolerable for him and he died after falling from a block of flats. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); History Workshop is a digital magazine of radical history. In towns and cities across England, concerts and readings were held to raise funds for the victims families and those injured escaping the fire. (a) the closure of 10 London fire stations (reducing the number from 112 to 102); (b) the decommissioning of 14 fire appliances (in other words, reducing the number of fire engines from 169 to 155); (c) the reduction by 552 in the number of fire-fighters in London (a reduction of approximately 10% of the total fire- Pedestrian, 49, who swore at 77-year-old cycling on the pavement who then veered into road and was struck by Are you allowing your bank to rip you off? The new police inquiry, involving fresh interviews with witnesses, has now formally established that the blaze started when a naked flame was applied to a foam-filled armchair in the living-room. People listen to everything that comes out about the New Cross fire only to get [hopes] built up and then torn back down. He added: : The one thing that people cant seem to get into their heads is this: the fire started inside the party, not outside. The jury returned an open verdict. [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]. This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated: It hits you again with full force. There was no trust of any kind certainly not from young black people and theirparents.. After huge public pressure, the Metropolitan police wrote to the Attorney General in 2001, asking him to reopen the investigation. Yet the survivors and bereaved families are still here waiting for compensation.. Two inquests into the victims' deaths gave an open verdict. The Witch Trials of JK Rowling makes sensible points. The victims of the fire were all young Black, Mixed Race, British people between the ages of 14 and 22. Sign up hereto stay up to date with the best new TV. This is a proven fact. The group also plan to launch a charity to support those affected by the tragedy and help forward the aspirations of young, Black people of Caribbean heritage. drew on Black British history, and articulated new Black futures. "But when I looked at my hand I realised that it was my own skin that I was rubbing off my face instead of sweat or grit. Smithyman told police he went to a nearby adventure playground then returned to see a fire had taken hold at the house, and that people were jumping from upstairs windows. [9] This second inquest also resulted in an open verdict. The exact cause of the fire has never been determined and the original inquest returned an open verdict, much to the dismay of the families of the victims. Cordelia J Birkbeck. But, as Darcus Howe said on the 30th anniversary of the fire in 2011 it is the blaze we cannot forget.. In fact, the pier fell even further into decline. Smithyman, who was 14 at the time of the tragedy, reportedly told officers that he had tried to gatecrash the party with another teenager who began the blaze in revenge after they were refused entry. Lives in Dalton, Georgia. The New Cross Massacre Action Committee (NCMAC) was set up, chaired by John La Rose,[2] and organised weekly meetings in New Cross, which saw increasing participation as the police investigation announced that there was no evidence of arson and that the fire was believed to be accidental. 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. They declared March 2, the Black Peoples Day of Action to demonstrate against the Mets mishandling of the teenagers deaths. | Police initially said the blaze had been started by a firebomb that had been thrown through a ground-floor window. Thats what counselling does for you; every Monday, I end up crying my eyes out because of things that Id blocked out for years., Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. 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.". Nevertheless, the popular press focused overwhelmingly on the minor disturbances that occurred on an otherwise overwhelmingly peaceful demonstration. It featured contributions from Alex Pascall, Gus John, filmmaker Menelik Shabazz, novelist Courttia Newland and musicians Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson. One week after the fire, on 25 January, a meeting was held at the Moonshot Club in New Cross, attended by more than one thousand people. 10 Matches for Stephen Birbeck . ", Mr Haynes was burnt from his fingers to the top of his arms, 06 May 04 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. 13 Apr 1922, d. 21 Mar 2008 Citations On 18 January 1981 he was at a party held at 439 New Cross Road, London, SE14 6TA that claimed 13 lives as a result of a fire and subsequently became disturbed following the deaths of his best friends. Frustrated by the polices inquests, on January 20, black Britons began organizing. There was no shock.. Police officers at the scene of the fire initially blamed the neo-fascist National Front. Username. But forensic evidence then suggested it began inside the house. It was a profoundly moving act of memorialisation and defiance. Major Henry Anthony Birkbeck held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) 1 He was awarded the Military Cross (M.C.) [29], Blood Ah Go Run, a 1981 film by Menelik Shabazz, documents the response of the Black community to the fire. Lovers rock tracks pumped from a sound system as revellers jostled. Berbeck actually escaped the fire, but became mentally disturbed and died after falling from a balcony, a possible suicide. This article accompanies Aaron Andrews piece Truth, Justice, and Expertise in 1980s Britain: the Cultural Politics of the New Cross MassacreinHistory Workshop Journal issue 91, where it is available on free access. 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. Jeremy Vine reveals his 'first collision of the year' and it's caused by a cyclist! In the early morning on Sunday 18 January 1981, a fire broke out at 439 New Cross Road in the London Borough of Lewisham. By Andy Gardner and Jake Ryan For The Mail On Sunday, Published: 22:01 GMT, 30 October 2021 | Updated: 02:08 GMT, 31 October 2021, Michael Smithyman, who had been jailed for killing his pregnant girlfriend, was the subject of a police report submitted to the Home Office and was reinterviewed by an elite Scotland Yard unit in 1993. He was 14 at the time and claims he had tried to gatecrash the party with another teenager. Pub puzzle depicting a 'common phrase' stumps thousands - before the What lack of sleep REALLY does to your face: Expert reveals the warning signs your skin is suffering. Beaming Prince Harry and Meghan enjoy a date night at exclusive $4,200-A-YEAR Repli-Kate! The New Cross Fire tragedy highlighted hostility between black Britons, the police and the media. By February 9, four more black teenagers had succumbed to their fire injuries. He said reports claiming police failed to fully investigate a confession made by jailed murderer Michael Smithyman between 1991 and 1993 were triggering and would not help get to the truth. The people who know what really happened are already dying out and are going to take that to their grave. The New Cross Massacre became a clarion call for political action at the beginning of a tumultuous year for Black Britons across urban England. 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. A new investigation into the blaze that killed 13 young black people at a London party 23 years ago suggests that a group of adults inside the house was to blame. There is also a memorial to the victims consisting of a park bench, plus 13 trees with a plaque at either end, on Hackney Downs in east London, and a memorial plaque on the wall of Catford Civic Hall listing the names of the "fourteen young people who died in the New Cross Fire of 18th January 1981". is a New York State licensed and insured life safety company. [8] The inquest into the deaths of the 13 teenagers, began on 21 April 1981. An assembly of the people consisting of five hundred black Britons was formed to investigate the killings. Uprising connects three chapters in recent British history through powerful testimonials and archive footage: the New Cross fire and the Black Peoples Day of Action, when 20,000 people marched on central London to protest against the silence from the state. [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". 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. Would the same happen if it had been 13 young white children? ER 2002-10, 2015, 2017-22 Director. The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22, and one survivor killed himself two years later.[1]. The Black Peoples Day of Action was organised for Monday 2 March thatyear. ' and it 's caused by a firebomb that had been 13 young white?. The end of the 13 teenagers, began on 21 April 1981 of 14 and 22 Black. Began to blame the victims ' deaths gave an open verdict Britons formed. 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