If we could retire at a reasonable age of 60 then it would open the workforce to the new generation. It seeks to deepen understandings of the past, cast light on the present and agitate for change in the world we live in now. Female farmer, 20, who stuffed apples into her Tinder lover's car exhaust and scrawled profanity on his 'He has shown no remorse': Carrie Johnson says the early release of Joanna Simpson's killer BA pilot husband Schools in London, the South East and Wales to shut today as teachers stage THIRD day of strikes in blow to Putin 'is more furious than ever' over leaks claiming he lives in luxury mansion with his gymnast lover and Russia's troop death toll 'passes 150,000' with bodies of 'human wave' soldiers carried off battlefield Ukraine's first lady condemns Putin for 'mercilessly firing at civilians' as 'deliberate missile strike' on Model, 44, 'smuggled 5M in criminal cash into Dubai by hiding banknotes in suitcases on two flights from Paedophile's victim poses as a sex abuser online, befriends him and lures himinto admitting raping her: Boris Johnson 'could make first comments on Brexit deal TODAY' amid DUP meltdown with hardliners saying it Grinning and bearing it? 20072023 Blackpast.org. My knees went jelly.. [6] They were: A survivor of the fire, Anthony Berbeck, apparently died by suicide on 9 July 1983 by jumping from the balcony of a block of council flats in south London. An assembly of the people consisting of five hundred black Britons was formed to investigate the killings. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The fire and the protests that followed were part of the Steve McQueen co-directed television documentary series Uprising shown on BBC One in July 2021. "We know it [the fire] was not an accident. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Yvonne's brother Paul, aged 22, also perished. 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. He adds: There was no outpouring of sympathy. Anthony BIRBECK Filter appointments Filter appointments Current appointments Total number of appointments 7 Date of birth April 1961 CHESTER-LE-STREET CC TRADING LIMITED (10000684) Company. You still feel it. ", "New Cross fire - a turning point? "I hope the people inside the house will be called to give evidence.". A survivor was so horrified by what he saw that he killed himself two years later. 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]. But what can I tell you, I am here, I am alive. Anthony Shepherd, . The New Cross Massacre became a clarion call for political action at the beginning of a tumultuous year for Black Britons across urban England. 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. 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. ', 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'.'. Many of the victims' families and the survivors attended the event. Cross Fire: With Han Lu, Lei Wu, Shuailiang Liu, Francis Wong. 439, New Cross Road. Smithyman's alleged involvement first emerged when he was interviewed by police ten years after the fire following a tip-off by a previous associate called Paul Smith, who is now a property developer based in Clacton, Essex. "[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. But forensic evidence then suggested it began inside the house. An audience member suggested a weekday march to bring the city to a standstill. The Independent on Sunday has also learned that much of the blame will be directed at a group of adults who were at the party that night. BIRBECK, Anthony Correspondence address No 4, Castle Court 2, Castlegate Way, Dudley, West Midlands, DY1 4RH . There was no escape from it.. Ruddock was on the third floor when the fire broke out in the ground-floor living room. Post Coronavirus lockdown I have returned to seeing clients face to face but am continuing to . The New Cross fire is. . London, 02 Feb 04 Archive footage shows a coffin held aloft in the crowd as some waved placards emblazoned with messages like Black People Die Babylon Lie and Thatcher in her Silence Incites Violence. 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. He is currently working with 20 other survivors to push for a third inquest in hopes to change the open verdicts, which were returned two times previously in 1981 and 2004, to one which reflects the fact that the victims were unlawfully killed. 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. His aunt Armza Ruddock, the mother of Paul and Yvonne, described hearing a bang. 10 Matches for Stephen Birbeck . Anthony Berbeck. The person said 'There was a fire at the party Gerry did not make it.' "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. LTO at Shaw Industries. Other occupants: Sylvia K Birbeck. Nevertheless, the popular press focused overwhelmingly on the minor disturbances that occurred on an otherwise overwhelmingly peaceful demonstration. A short service of Remembrance will take place on Friday 17 January at 11a.m. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. 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'. 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. But yet people are left standing there and speculating. 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]. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The loss of so many of his friends became intolerable for him and he died after falling from a block of flats. 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. Over the forty years, events have continued to be held to commemorate the tragedy and remember those who lost their lives. After police failed to find the culprit, the local community adopted the slogan '13 dead, nothing said'. Wed walk to school and see graffiti of black men hanging on lamp posts. Two inquests recorded open verdicts. 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. He believes in some ways they have been helped by the passage of time - due to advances in forensic science they have been able to pin-point the exact location of the fire when it started (by an. I am a user experience and communications specialist with a passion for inclusive, accessible and user-focused design. Initially. 1 He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) Police reopened the investigation into the fire in 1997 after lobbying by relatives and local MP Joan Ruddock. He added: : The one thing that people cant seem to get into their heads is this: the fire started inside the party, not outside. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. ER 2002-10, 2015, 2017-22 Director. In addition to the 13 who died in the fire, 27 were injured and a 14th took his own life two years later. [This is a republication of an article originally published on HWO on 18 January 2021, the fortieth anniversary of the New Cross fire.]. It was a kind of sweep of passion and people saying "we have had enough".". Windows exploded and revellers fled the house. A 14th person, Anthony Berbeck, was described as having died "following trauma brought on by the fire". The projections are now to make retirement at 67 by 2028 (not mandatory, just the starting age). National newspapers largely ignored the New Cross fire and the Government remained silent. A 14th victim, who had survived the. John La Rose, the founder of the UKs first black publisher and specialist bookshop New Beacon Books, said at the time: This outrage in the heart of London the Prime Minister says nothing. in the Civic Suite. Commander Graham Stockwell, head of south London CID . 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. Role Active Director Date of birth April 1956 . 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. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. Born in Timioara, Romania. [32], Rex Obano's radio play Lover's Rock (BBC Radio 3, broadcast in November 2012) is a fictional account of the events leading up to the New Cross Fire. People started panicking and screaming. 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. Read More About Us. Numbers swelled as the march neared the city; young people jumped over school gates and curious shoppers joined the demonstration. Initial rumours of a racist attack carried out by far right groups were too easily overlooked by police, it has been claimed. I know this area although I am from the midlands and sympathise entirely but was unfamiliar with its history and significance thank you for the information. It will then cause further division which makes it harder for us to get to the bottom of anything.. See Photos. By February 9, four more black teenagers had succumbed to their fire injuries. See full bio More at IMDbPro Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro Known For Cast Away Location Management (2000) Most Daring Producer (2007-2010) I Married a Murderer Producer (2017-2018) Coach Charming Producer (2015) 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. Despite repeated requests, bosses at Whitemoor prison refused to say whether they had passed on to Smithyman a request from The Mail on Sunday to interview him. The third documentary charts escalating racial tensions that led to the Brixton riots in April that year and defined race relations for ageneration. 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. ", George Francis, Gerry's father and chair of the New Cross Parents' Committee, told BBC London: "Some people have gone mental through this fire. Volunteers took statements from partygoers because of the black communitys deep mistrust of the police. Lovers rock tracks pumped from a sound system as revellers jostled for space on the dancefloor. You have misleading reports on radio and television. Two inquests into the victims' deaths gave an open verdict. It was a profoundly moving act of memorialisation and defiance. DDPC 3/3 fire insurance assessments . This is all much to his annoyance because Smithymans confession has been in the public domain for years. [30], The deaths in the fire were commemorated or mentioned in a number of reggae songs and poems at the time, including Johnny Osbourne's "13 Dead and Nothing Said", Benjamin Zephaniah's "13 Dead", Linton Kwesi Johnson's "New Crass Massakah"[31] and UB40's "Don't Let It Pass You By". Prince Andrew 'fears he won't be able to afford Royal Lodge if King Charles cuts his 250K grant - but is Can you solve this trivia riddle? The parents of the fire victims delivered a petition to the Houses of Parliament but no action was taken. The disaster claimed a 14th victim two years later when 20-year-old Anthony Berbeck took his own life in 1983 because of what an inquest judge called "trauma brought on by the fire". 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 . A series of public memorials have been installed naming the fourteen young men, women, and children who lost their lives as a result of the firethese include plaques on 439 New Cross Road and Lewisham Town Hall, and a memorial in Fordham Park. Published: Feb. 22, 2023 at 7:59 AM PST. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. His other roles included the leads in HBO's first ever mini-series . We unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. CROSS-FIRE & SECURITY CO.,INC. The party had started the night before on January 17, 1981 but the fire started around 5.40am the following morning.. Moreover, local far-right extremism and the longer history of racist arson attacks in the area suggested that the fire was a deliberate attack. (London and Sydney: Pluto Press, 1984); Darcus Howe, New Cross: the blaze we cannot forget. The Guardian, 17 Jan 2011. "With all the parents suffering, we want an answer," said Mr Francis, aged 75. See Photos. Speaking exclusively to i, Ruddock says: The party was brilliant. Paul died a hero.. drew on Black British history, and articulated new Black futures. The eight-page briefing note states: 'It is suspected that Smithyman was the other person with [name removed for legal reasons] when the fire started and it is our belief he will admit his full complicity in the matter.'. Charles is evicting Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage 'so he can start after his Coronation with A royal princess at Eton? Several theories on the cause of the fire have emerged over the years. High street giant WH Smith has been hit by cyber attack as hackers access company data including info on Can YOU guess the book? [24][25] There is a stone memorial in Fordham Park, Deptford, listing those who died; facing the stone memorial is a bench with a memorial inscription. 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. [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. The History of Radical Mas Bands at Notting Hill Carnival, Crush the Despicable! The first documented instances of St. Anthony's Fire. We wanted to make our voices heard, says Hassan Howe, the widow of the Trinidadian writer and racial justice campaigner Darcus Howe. 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