Bethnal
Green (East London) Disaster 3RD March 1943
“The forgotten
victims of Bethnal Green”
During 1940-41 London experienced the Blitz, heavy
bombing by
the German Luftwaffe for 57 consecutive nights. More than 40,000 civilians were
killed and one million London houses were destroyed.
On 29th December 1940, the German Luftwaffe decided
to use firebombs which rained down on the capital known as the 'Second great fire
of London'. Air-raid sirens became a regular occurrence, but quite often they
were false alarms. Londoners were told to “Keep calm and carry on” a term that
is still used and seen today on souvenirs and advertising.
Londoners got used to hearing the air-raid
sirens and on hearing them would immediately go down to the shelters where they
would stay for the night. Many preferred to shelter in London’s underground tube
stations believing they were safer than their own shelters usually situated in
back gardens. These were known as Anderson Shelters, which were given to all
homeowners, a small shed like structure made of corrugated steel. These were
small and cramped, with little air, no light and a chamber pot for a toilet. Whereas
the underground stations were big, lit and had a community spirit with group
sing-alongs. To make sure the British people didn’t become disheartened, Tea
was also dispatched from large urns. Some stations even had library’s. Bethnal
Green station had plenty of room with up to 5000 bunks and a further 2000
people that could be accommodated.
This was the case on 3rd March 1943, the air-raid Civil Defence siren sounded at 8:17 pm. With the sound of the siren came the immediate closure
of the nearby cinema, 3 buses also stopped at the entrance to let passengers disembark
for the shelter. At the top of the stairs came shouts warning of bombs falling,
when a different deafening sound was heard rather than the usual familiar one of
bombs exploding. People thought it was a new kind of bomb, triggering a
heavy but orderly flow of people down the blacked-out staircase from the
street. As the stairs were wet from the rain,
a middle-aged woman carrying her child slipped and fell over, three steps up
from the bottom, causing an elderly man behind to
trip over her and start a domino effect. Others fell around her, tangled
in an immovable mass which grew, as they struggled. People entering into the shelter were unaware of the horror unfolding
below them in the dark. The way was blocked but still people poured down. There
were no handrails in the middle, no white edgings on the steps and no
police on duty. It was dark and the steps were slippery. Around 300
people were wedged into the stairway. All could be heard from the pitch
darkness, was the loud high pitched screams of mostly women and children. By
the time they were pulled out, 27 men, 84 women and 62 children were found crushed
to death. Some 60 others were taken to hospital, some with serious injury’s.
Fearing news of the tragedy would be bad for moral and aid enemy proper-gander,
news of the disaster was withheld for 36 hours, with relatives unaware of what
happened to their loved ones. When information was finally released, reporting
of what had happened was heavily censored. Minister of Home Security, Herbert
Morrison quoted from a secret report to the effect that “The disaster was caused
by the people panicking from the heavy bombing”.The Ministry decided the enquiry would be
kept quiet until the end of the war to protect the morale of
the country.
But other authorities who looked into what had happened disagreed; After
reading witness statements, the Shoreditch Coroner, said that there was
"nothing to suggest of any stampede or panic or anything of the
kind"; there was nothing in the way of rushing or surging" on the
staircase;
Lord Greene, reviewing the lower court's judgement said "it
was perfectly well known. that there had been no panic". Lord Greene also
rebuked the Ministry for getting the case to be held in secret, giving rise to
allegations of a cover-up.
It was only then was it revealed that on that evening of the air-raid, there
was actually no bombing in London, and the noise heard causing the air-raid
sirens to sound, were infact new anti-aircraft guns being secretly tested by
the Ministry in the nearby Victoria Park.
It also revealed that Bethnal Green Council had previously warned London
Civil Defence, in 1941, that the staircase would require a crush barrier to
slow down the crowds, but the Ministry stated “It would be a waste of money”.
To date most people in Britain are still unaware this tragedy ever happened;
Relatives and people of the local community are sadden this tragedy has been largely
ignored and never commemorated the same as other disasters. It was not until 50
years after the tragedy that a discreet commemorative plaque was erected above
the entrance of the stairs that is hardly visible.
The crush at Bethnal Green is thought to have been the largest single
loss of civilian life in the UK in World War II and the largest loss of life in
a single incident on the London underground network.
To highlight the disaster and in memory of the forgotten victims, The
"Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust" was established in 2007 to create
a memorial to those who died in the disaster. Planning permission has been
granted for a memorial in the form of a bronze staircase with 173 points of
light, designed by local architects Harry Patticas and Jens Borstlemann. It continues to raise the money to complete
the memorial in memory of the 173 people who sadly lost their lives 3rd March 1943.
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