It was a profoundly moving act of memorialisation and defiance. I shouted for help. 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. No further information on the new partner, A M Harris, has been found) before, in January 1913, it became known as Procter and Birkbeck (T E Birkbeck having been with the firm since at least 1900). 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. He added: : The one thing that people cant seem to get into their heads is this: the fire started inside the party, not outside. A decision to mobilise, as seen through the Black Peoples Day of Action demonstration in March 1981, was borne of this frustration a feeling that has endured through the decades since the fire. RE: DEPTFORD FIRE CON [citation needed] Additionally, reggae producer Sir Collins, whose son Steve died in the fire, released a tribute album in memory of the victims. Forty years on, it is vital that we continue to remember the story of the New Cross Massacre. 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The convicted killer, who now lives as a woman in prison, retracted the confessions and denies being present when the New Cross fire started. ", "New Cross fire - a turning point? (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- We unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Member Eastside Advisory Council, Riverside, 1973; board directors One-way Outreach Center, Coachella, 1979; member finance committee Calvary Chapel, Cathedral City . Mr Haynes, who worked closely with the Metropolitan Police during a second inquest into the disaster in 2004, said he remains satisfied with officers enquiries and believes that people within Lewishams own Black community know the truth behind how the fire started. The second inquest has been an unprecedented opportunity for families, survivors and the police to try and provide answers to questions which have haunted them all for the past 23 years. London, 03 Feb 04 The next morning he received a telephone call telling him Gerry was dead. Role Active Director Date of birth April 1956 . 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. When news of the tragedy spread in 1981 there was first disbelief and then outrage at what many in the black community felt was indifference shown by those in authority to their plight. It will then cause further division which makes it harder for us to get to the bottom of anything.. The smoke was jet black. Within days community groups, including the Race Today Collective and the Black Parents Movement, formed the New Cross Massacre Action Committee. Truth, Justice, and Expertise in 1980s Britain: the Cultural Politics of the New Cross Massacre. In fact, the pier fell even further into decline. 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. On the night of the fire, nine black youth died. Moreover, local far-right extremism and the longer history of racist arson attacks in the area suggested that the fire was a deliberate attack. I recently learnt that Paul ran into the house several times. We wanted to make our voices heard, says Hassan Howe, the widow of the Trinidadian writer and racial justice campaigner Darcus Howe. ANTHONY, N.M. - NASA White Sands Test Facility Fire Department escorted the remains of Lt. Edward Vasquez from Albuquerque to his hometown of Anthony, New Mexico, on Friday, with aid from local . Film director Steve McQueen, who made a BBC documentary on the tragedy earlier this year, said the blaze and its aftermath were 'momentous events in our nation's history'. A memorial service which was originally planned to mark the 40th anniversary on Sunday, January . 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. She told reporters at the time: I ran to the living room and saw the top of the armchair, the curtains, ablaze. Subsequently, the New Cross Massacre Action Group was formed and led by activists, writers, and civil rights campaigners John La Rose and Darcus Howe. When the Black community locks shop and puts up a wall of silence regarding what goes on within our community - nothing comes out. Artists like Linton Kwesi Johnson, Benjamin Zephaniah, and Johnny Osbourne also wrote poems and songs, telling the story of the massacre, and condemning the silence which followed it. Police have launched a murder inquiry after survivors described how they saw a car being driven away from the incident as the fire broke out. View Anthony Birbeck, MBE, FRSA'S professional profile on LinkedIn. 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. How the Princess of Wales recreated her 2006 outfit from Prince William's Sandhurst graduation EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Prince William's potentially awkward visit to homelessness charity. The house had been full the night before, with revellers celebrating the sixteenth birthday of Yvonne Ruddock and the eighteenth birthday of her friend Angela Jackson. George Francis lost his 17-year-old son Gerry in the fire and helped to form the New Cross Fire Families Committee, of which he is chairman. Username. One eyewitness reportedly saw a man throw a missile at the house. For more information about this hero click on the picture of his plaque. Anthony Cross. In addition to the 13 who died in the fire, 27 were injured and a 14th took his own life two years later. 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. Viewers are reminded of the overt racism that marred the 1970s and 1980s when the National Front (NF) terrorised immigrant communities and left neighbourhoods fearful of fascistattacks. He adds: There was no outpouring of sympathy. The Witch Trials of JK Rowling makes sensible points. It was a kind of sweep of passion and people saying "we have had enough".". Already serving a life sentence for two murders, including that of his pregnant 22-year-old girlfriend April Sheridan, Smithyman gave a chilling account during 40 taped interviews of how the fire started. The events are referenced in The Young'uns song "These Hands" on the album Strangers, which won BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards "Best Album" 2018. By 2015, huge parts of the promenade collapsed during a storm and a fire set some of the buildings ablaze including the clock tower. This year, the 40th anniversary of the blaze, campaigners say the story symbolises the police abuse and neglect by the state felt by many black people at the time. | The Black People's Day of Action march took place on March 2, 1981 - six weeks after the New Cross fire that claimed the lives of 13 young Black people. We are old people and we want to know the truth before we die.". The silence over the loss of thirteen lives was also filled by music and poetry. Sign up hereto stay up to date with the best new TV. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. 1 He lived at Westacre, Norfolk, England. They declared March 2, the Black Peoples Day of Action to demonstrate against the Mets mishandling of the teenagers deaths. 2023 London Remembers, All Rights Reserved. The party had started the night before on January 17, 1981 but the fire started around 5.40am the following morning.. The symbolism of the march drew on Black British history, and articulated new Black futures. I'm a Feng Shui expert and these are the three things I will never allow in a bedroom. He was buried on 20 July 1983 in Lewisham. I remember feeling it was going to be a momentous day.. Peter Bleksley, a police constable in Peckham in 1981, says his colleagues joked that New Cross should be renamed Blackfriars. Anthony Cross is known for Cast Away (2000), Most Daring (2007) and I Married a Murderer (2017). The victims of the fire were very publicly memorialised during the Black Peoples Day of Action (2 March 1981) when up to 20,000 people (estimates vary) marched for over 12 miles through central Londonfrom New Cross Road to Hyde Parkwith many carrying aloft placards bearing pictures of the thirteen victims, their names, and dates of birth and death. Photo Vron Ware, Courtesy of Autograph ABP, London, African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. When the illness was first recorded in detail, it was called ignis sacer (or, "holy fire,") and according to Lapham's Quarterly, that first in-depth mention came way back in 994. The party had begun the night before and gone over into the next day. New Zealand. The loss of so many of his friends became intolerable for him and he died after falling from a block of flats. Two inquests recorded open verdicts. Smithyman is now 56 and in jail at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire. Would the same happen if it had been 13 young white children? NF logos and W*gs Out written on rucksacks; N***rs Out scratched into school desks. As the clock ticked past midnight on 18 January 1981, a house party in New Cross, south-east London, was just getting started. The parents of 17-year-old Gerry Francis, one of the victims, have fought for an. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. 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 . But at 5.40am the joy turned to tragedy when a fire ripped through the house. The New Cross Massacre exposed the indifference and disdain with which government and the media have treated the loss of Black lives. Warning chocolate lovers ultra-processed foods might make you depressed, study claims. People and we anthony birbeck new cross fire to know the truth before we die. `` 56 in. 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