1 . 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. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. 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. NF logos and W*gs Out written on rucksacks; N***rs Out scratched into school desks. In fact, the pier fell even further into decline. Tricky emoji quiz will put your knowledge of childhood classics to the test. 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. ', A Met spokesman said: 'We thoroughly investigated the circumstances of the fire in 1981. Your email address will not be published. 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. The exhibition[28] shows photographs documenting the Black People's Day of Action, taken by Vron Ware, who had attended the march on 2 March 1981. Join Facebook to connect with Anthony Birbeck and others you may know. Anthony Cross. 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. 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. No one has ever been tried for starting the blaze, but between 1991 and 1993 police received confessions from a jailed killer who gave the name of a suspect, and said he himself was present when it began. Read More About Us. The victims of the fire were all young Black, Mixed Race, British people between the ages of 14 and 22. This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated: Our assessments, publications and research spread knowledge, spark enquiry and aid understanding around the world. I will always remember him as I saw him the night of the party. [37][38] The New Cross fire and the protests that followed are pivotal to the 2020 Steve McQueen drama Alex Wheatle,[39] part of the filmmaker's Small Axe series for the BBC. 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. Almost all victims of the blaze on January 18, 1981, were teenagers and all were black. Both inquests recorded open verdicts. It led to 20,000 people taking part in a mass protest, and is seen as a catalyst for the notorious Brixton riots in April of the same year, 1981. 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. The New Cross Massacre exposed the indifference and disdain with which government and the media have treated the loss of Black lives. But forensic evidence then suggested it began inside the house. Sylvia K Birbeck. Over the forty years, events have continued to be held to commemorate the tragedy and remember those who lost their lives. (London and Sydney: Pluto Press, 1984); Darcus Howe, New Cross: the blaze we cannot forget. The Guardian, 17 Jan 2011. [16][17], Tribune described the march as "the largest mass movement for racial justice on British soil at the time", but also noted that "journalists stationed in the offices of Fleet Street chanted monkey noises at the protestors down below. 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 they arrived, heavy smoke and flames were coming from the home. A short service of Remembrance will take place on Friday 17 January at 11a.m. When safety doesn't come first! Find staff in Birkbeck's Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics. Aaron Andrews is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Leeds Beckett University working on the AHRC-funded project Forged by Fire: Burns Injury and Identity in Britain, 1800-2000. 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. The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22, and one survivor killed himself two years later.[1]. Role Active Director Date of birth April 1956 . Tony Birbeck is on Facebook. ', Chillingly, the source added: 'He said that while watching Rastafarians jumping out of the top-floor windows on fire, he referred to them as 'roastafarians'.'. 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. Lindsay Birbeck (Image: Lancashire Police). 1 Anthony Leng Birbeck. 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. This is a proven fact. THAMES NEWS 17.8.83 INQUEST INTO DEATH. 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, Fresh inquiry into New Cross fire set to blame adults at house party, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, Extra 25% off kitchen appliances using this AO discount code, 10% off sale orders 100+ with this Soak & Sleep 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 March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. people of colour disproportionately impacted by coronavirus. Windows exploded and revellers fled the house. 1 He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) Do you find this information helpful? Anthony Cross is known for Cast Away (2000), Most Daring (2007) and I Married a Murderer (2017). 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. Name. It will then cause further division which makes it harder for us to get to the bottom of anything.. 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. "Nobody sent condolences, nobody behaved as they do nowadays or indeed as they would have done then if white children had been lost.". 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]. Peter Bleksley, a police constable in Peckham in 1981, says his colleagues joked that New Cross should be renamed Blackfriars. 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. [26] Both were installed in 2012. One eyewitness reportedly saw a man throw a missile at the house. Within days community groups, including the Race Today Collective and the Black Parents Movement, formed the New Cross Massacre Action Committee. Your email address will not be published. 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. Police also ruled out the theory that a fight had taken place. We are old people and we want to know the truth before we die.". Theres so much more to this story. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the infamous New Cross fire in Lewisham, south London where 13 Black youth died at a birthday party in what many believed was an arson attack motivated by racism. Then they questioned eight black youths who subsequently claimed they had been forced to make false statements. 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? England, 16 Feb 04 I'm a Feng Shui expert and these are the three things I will never allow in a bedroom. Anthony Cross. His aunt Armza Ruddock, the mother of Paul and Yvonne, described hearing a bang. Published: Feb. 22, 2023 at 7:59 AM PST. He was awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize 2011, a prize "awarded to outstanding scholars under the age of 36 . Name. In early April, an estimated 943 peoples were stopped and searched by the police under Sus laws, an addendum to the 1824 Vagrancy Act, and 188 black youths were arrested. Volunteers took statements from partygoers because of the black communitys deep mistrust of the police. Dane Henry A. Chinnery was born on 21 August 1997, the younger child of Anthony N. Chinnery and Beverley L. Chinnery ne Hall whose birth was registered in August 1997 in the Croydon registration d 12,210 brave WW1 seamen remembered on the monument at Tower Hill. It would also keep jobs from taking their toll on the elderly. Marion County Fire Rescue crews responded to a mobile home on Northeast 86th Lane at 12:41 a.m. Anger and fear sparked an unprecedented demonstration by black Britons, tens of thousands taking to the streets of London. 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. Documents and papers related to the New Cross Massacre Action Committee's campaign are held in the archives of the George Padmore Institute and can be accessed by the public. Police initially said the blaze had been started by a firebomb that had been thrown through a ground-floor window. Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4. For four decades, the cause of the fire has remained a source of serious contention. Anthony Birbeck is on Facebook. But Ruddock says black people were united in an increasingly hostile environment. 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. This led to accusations that the police had not done enough to solve the mystery of the fire. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Magdalene Edwards, now 57, survived the fire by jumping from a window while three months pregnant, but her 16-year-old stepsister Rosalind Henry (pictured) died. In 2017, the "13 Dead, Nothing Said"[27] exhibition was hosted at Goldsmiths College, University of London. [21][22] On 16 January 2011, a memorial service was held there, with speakers including George Francis, chair of the New Cross Fire Parents' Committee, Lewisham Council leader Steve Bullock and Joan Ruddock, MP for Lewisham Deptford.[23]. As a survivor, I feel triggered by these discussions and the furore around it is irritating because all its doing is upsetting a whole bunch of people - again, winding up the Black community - again, only for the matter to get dropped again, he continued. 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. [34][35][36], In 2020, a BBC Radio 4 documentary entitled "From the Ashes of New Cross", an episode in the series Lights Out, was broadcast to mark the 40th anniversary of the fire. [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". How the hell did someone walk in that house from off the street, start the fire and walk back out? The police were widely seen to be scapegoating young Black Britons for the tragedy and the media barely reported the massacre. [1] Nefertiti Gayle, Every Time Me memba (no date) reproduced in Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie and Suzanne Scafe, The Heart of the Race: Black Womens Lives in Britain, London, 1985, pp. A white Austin Princess car was seen driving away from the fire. We were young kids, all together and having a great time. 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. And that was when I decided I've got to move, I've got to get out of here.". "[15]; an apparent reference to a controversial speech by Dame Jill Knight, a right-wing member of the ruling Conservative Party, which was widely interpreted as condoning or even encouraging "direct action" against noisy parties. Emotionally, its no good for us, as survivors, in particular. Lives in Dalton, Georgia. In the early morning on Sunday 18 January 1981, a fire broke out at 439 New Cross Road in the London Borough of Lewisham. [8] The inquest into the deaths of the 13 teenagers, began on 21 April 1981. Lovers rock tracks pumped from a sound system as revellers jostled. I help people through a broad range of emotional issues and am available to see you 7am - 9pm Monday - Friday. Having grown up in a mixed race neighbourhood and having friends that have taken this to heart I was interested as to why. The New Cross fire is. Though much of the political action focused on London, the tragedy spurred action across the country. [4], The party was a joint birthday celebration for Yvonne Ruddock (one of the victims of the fire) and Angela Jackson (who survived) and was held at No. Nearly 100 guests attended the joint birthday party for Yvonne Ruddock and Angela Jackson at Ruddocks three-storey home. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Lebanon police arrested 27-year-old Anthony Boisvert, of Lebanon, in connection with the incident. View this record View. An audience member suggested a weekday march to bring the city to a standstill. Dr. Gretchen L. Birbeck is a neurologist in Rochester, New York and is affiliated with Strong Memorial Hospital of the University of Rochester. The person said 'There was a fire at the party Gerry did not make it.' All rights reserved. "[18], On 14 January 2011, an event called "Remembering the New Cross Fire 30 Years On" was held at the Albany Theatre in Deptford. RE: DEPTFORD FIRE CON 17,029 pages were read in the last minute. 20072023 Blackpast.org. He was 14 at the time and claims he had tried to gatecrash the party with another teenager. [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]. A memorial service which was originally planned to mark the 40th anniversary on Sunday, January . Survivor season 41: Who is host Jeff Probst? Other occupants: Sylvia K Birbeck. "There were no condolences from the government, there were no condolences from the palace," said Ms Ruddock. People listen to everything that comes out about the New Cross fire only to get [hopes] built up and then torn back down. 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. 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. ", "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! 439, New Cross Road. Theion TVnewsletter is a daily email full of suggestions of what to watch as well as the latest TV news, opinions and interviews. Joan Ruddock, Labour MP for Lewisham Deptford, has worked closely with the families and was responsible for securing a second police inquiry. 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. . 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. I shouted for help. Police chiefs have been accused of failing to fully investigate the confession of a jailed murderer who revealed how a house fire started 40 years ago, killing 13 young black partygoers. See Photos. OF ANTHONY BIRBECK, TN/83/42/37 LATE. The smoke was jet black. For ten hours campaigners marched eight miles from Fordham Park, South London to Hyde Park, Central London with placards stating, Thirteen Dead, Nothing Said and No Police Cover-Up.. The verdict was disputed by those who believed that the fire had been the result of a racist arson attack, and the conduct of the Inner South London Coroner, who oversaw the inquest, caused particular dismay, exposing systemic flaws in the investigation of controversial deaths. Upstairs, oblivious partygoers were dancing to The Wailing Souls Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall. The next morning he received a telephone call telling him Gerry was dead. Contradictory claims and reports of a supposed fight in the living room complicatedmatters. Truth, Justice, and Expertise in 1980s Britain: the Cultural Politics of the New Cross Massacre. Join Facebook to connect with Anthony Cross and others you may know. Ruddock was on the third floor when the fire broke out in the ground-floor living room. 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 recanted on his confession, at about the time of a parole hearing in 2015, claiming he was not present when the fire started. This theory was corroborated by eyewitnesses who reported having seen a white man drive away from the house in a light-coloured Austin Princess moments after the fire had started. Locals and the Friends of Birnbeck Pier have been petitioning for this part of Weston's heritage to be revived to its former glory. He was one of more than 100 youngsters who had gathered at 439 New Cross Road to celebrate 16-year-old Yvonne Ruddock's birthday. Cordelia J Birkbeck. 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". Sources close to the case claim that the allegations were hushed up because of 'political considerations'. Within months an inquest returned an open verdict. 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Magdalene Edwards, now 57, survived the fire by jumping from a window while three months pregnant, but her 16-year-old stepsister Rosalind Henry died. The convicted killer, who now lives as a woman in prison, retracted the confessions and denies being present when the New Cross fire started. I remember the floor felt spongy and the heat was rising. 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. Police found no evidence to support Smithymans confession, which was one of several made from inside jail between 1991 and 1993. 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.". 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. Facebook gives people the power to. Mr Haynes said: We need to stop doing this. Over the years, a number of reviews and follow-up enquiries have been conducted. New Cross fire tragedy remembered 40 years on. 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. Frustrated by the polices inquests, on January 20, black Britons began organizing. Its a state ofbarbarism.. 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Many black Britons viewed those acts the states retaliation for the Black Peoples Day of Action demonstration. A 14th victim died in 1983. This is all much to his annoyance because Smithymans confession has been in the public domain for years. 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. Smithyman is now 56 and in jail at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire. When 48 people died in the Stardust disco fire in Dublin, Ireland, in the early hours of 14 February that year, the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Queen offered their immediate condolences. Word spread that it was a targeted attack but fire forensics ruled out the allegation. A total of 27 people were injured as they tried to jump from windows or down drainpipes of the two-storey house at 439 New Cross Road, London. [citation needed] Additionally, reggae producer Sir Collins, whose son Steve died in the fire, released a tribute album in memory of the victims. In 1956 he moved to Israel where he served in the air force and attended the National Sport Academy, where he studied fencing. By February 9, four more black teenagers had succumbed to their fire injuries. The first documented instances of St. Anthony's Fire. 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. . A forensic report produced for the Met Police in 2011 ruled out a firebomb attack, concluding that the blaze started when someone in the house set an armchair alight. Lottery and the Arts Council to produce two anthologies of interpreters' stories and a play about a couple in a cross-language relationship, for the Soho Theatre, London. We expand the work of History Workshop Journal, and continue the democratising spirit of the History Workshop movement. On March 2, an estimated 20,000 demonstrators including members of the Black Panther Party, Black Parents Movement, and Black Youth Movement, marched in one of the most massive demonstrations against racial injustice in British history. No one has ever been charged in connection with the fire, which forensic science subsequently established started inside the house. See Photos . The poet Nefertiti Gayle later memorialised the tragedy alongside acts of racist violence in London, the United States, and Apartheid South Africa.[1]. Peter Fryer, Staying Power: History of Black People in Britain. You have misleading reports on radio and television. A survivor was so horrified by what he saw that he killed himself two years later. [33] In March 2018, poet Jay Bernard's performance work investigating the fire, Surge: Side A, won the 2017 Ted Hughes Award for new poetry. [2], A forensic science report produced for the Metropolitan Police in 2011 ruled out a firebomb attack, finding instead that the fire had started when somebody in the house set fire to a foam-filled armchair in the front room of the property at 5:40 am on Sunday morning.
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