March 9th 1946

[MalcolmW]

On ‎10‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 09:06, Mounts Kipper said:

What relation was Bob to Harry? 

Son

[Chris Custodiet]

On 10/03/2019 at 09:06, Mounts Kipper said:

What relation was Bob to Harry? 

 

 

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/3626999.former-police-chief-dies-after-illness/

 

[Chris Custodiet]

On 10/03/2019 at 09:06, Mounts Kipper said:

What relation was Bob to Harry? 

Bob died in 2008 at the age of 72 which would have meant he was 9-10 at the time of the Burnden disaster and probably seven at the time his father was killed in the Italy campaign. I once tried to get the Guardian's David Conn to publish this little known connection but he wasn't interested.

Here's a brief bit about Bob's life in the BEN in 2008:

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/3626999.former-police-chief-dies-after-illness/

[Benny The Ball]

On 09/03/2019 at 18:37, MancWanderer said:

 

Over the years BWFC and the fans have dealt with this disaster in a class way. No finger-pointing. No demands for action or media campaigns asking for everyone to remember it. Just a quiet remembrance of our own in our own way. Hope it stays like that tbh. Horrible day that doesn’t need highlighting, simply remembered

Don't know how many people are aware of this but the Burnden disaster was completely disregarded by the club for decades. 

It had been suggested to the club that a memorial be opened at the time of the Nat Lofthouse testimonial in 1989 as he had a direct link back to the era of the disaster ,and that unveiling a memorial would form a focal point at his testimonial  , Barry Chaytow the then chairman was not interested and nothing was done. 

Then following the Hillsborough disaster a lady called Mrs Coward from Radcliffe whose own husband had died in the disaster launched an appeal in the Bolton Evening News and it gained some support from several fans and a campaign of sorts was launched through the opinion columns in the local press. ( No social media in them days ) 

Even then ( and I have a copy of Des McBains letter to Mrs Coward , who has now passed away ) , there was a reluctance by the club to do anything 

It is dated 13 July 1990 and reads  

Dear Mrs Coward 

Your letter of the 5th June 1990, regarding a memorial of the Burnden disaster was discussed at a recent board meeting.

As you are no doubt aware the normid superstore is now built on the spot where the incident occurred. There is an area underneath the store which is going to be developed into sports and leisure area . When the work has been completed then the directors will erect a plaque on the wall adjacent to the spot where the disaster occured. 

Publicity will obviously be given to this ceremony and you will be more than welcome to attend. 

Yours Sincerely 

D McBain 

It would have been easy for the club to put a plaque on the Embankment entrance wall , but they did all they could to avoid doing anything until there was a groundswell of opinion and questioning as to the lack of it being marked in any way whatsoever  

Thankfully Mrs Coward lived long enough to see the plaque unveiled at what is now the Asda Superstore 

But the suggestion that Over the years  BWFC have dealt with this in a class way is not something I buy into. 

 

 

 

 

[MickyD]

I met Des McBain a number of times and if I'm honest, he came across as the most stiff upper-lipped non-emotional bloke in the world. A guy you could never imagine being some kid's favourite grandad.

If he was typical of folk on the board then it's no wonder they didn't like to dwell on tragedy. 

I just don't think they understood the fans' wishes back then.

The promised sports facility under Normid never happened either. A vast empty space used to store crap.

 

[Benny The Ball]

Just now, MickyD said:

I met Des McBain a number of times and if I'm honest, he came across as the most stiff upper-lipped non-emotional bloke in the world. A guy you could never imagine being some kid's favourite grandad.

If he was typical of folk on the board then it's no wonder they didn't like to dwell on tragedy. 

I just don't think they understood the fans' wishes back then.

The promised sports facility under Normid never happened either. A vast empty space used to store crap.

 

I think the club found it difficult to do anything because for so long nothing had been done 

There was an awkwardness about it 

But its important also that the disaster is viewed in the wider context of when it occurred - the tail end of the war - life was cheap and death was all too common and people had to just dust themselves down and carry on 

 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

43 minutes ago, Benny The Ball said:

Don't know how many people are aware of this but the Burnden disaster was completely disregarded by the club for decades. 

It had been suggested to the club that a memorial be opened at the time of the Nat Lofthouse testimonial in 1989 as he had a direct link back to the era of the disaster ,and that unveiling a memorial would form a focal point at his testimonial  , Barry Chaytow the then chairman was not interested and nothing was done. 

Then following the Hillsborough disaster a lady called Mrs Coward from Radcliffe whose own husband had died in the disaster launched an appeal in the Bolton Evening News and it gained some support from several fans and a campaign of sorts was launched through the opinion columns in the local press. ( No social media in them days ) 

Even then ( and I have a copy of Des McBains letter to Mrs Coward , who has now passed away ) , there was a reluctance by the club to do anything 

It is dated 13 July 1990 and reads  

Dear Mrs Coward 

Your letter of the 5th June 1990, regarding a memorial of the Burnden disaster was discussed at a recent board meeting.

As you are no doubt aware the normid superstore is now built on the spot where the incident occurred. There is an area underneath the store which is going to be developed into sports and leisure area . When the work has been completed then the directors will erect a plaque on the wall adjacent to the spot where the disaster occured. 

Publicity will obviously be given to this ceremony and you will be more than welcome to attend. 

Yours Sincerely 

D McBain 

It would have been easy for the club to put a plaque on the Embankment entrance wall , but they did all they could to avoid doing anything until there was a groundswell of opinion and questioning as to the lack of it being marked in any way whatsoever  

Thankfully Mrs Coward lived long enough to see the plaque unveiled at what is now the Asda Superstore 

But the suggestion that Over the years  BWFC have dealt with this in a class way is not something I buy into. 

 

 

 

 

Interesting piece that. Learned a bit.

I suppose most people now refer to the club's commemorations in the context of current, modern attitudes.

I'd agree that a more stuff upper lip prevailed then, and perhaps there was some embarrassment that the tragedy had happened on our patch, given later, simple solutions may have helped prevent it.

[MancWanderer]

5 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Interesting piece that. Learned a bit.

I suppose most people now refer to the club's commemorations in the context of current, modern attitudes.

I'd agree that a more stuff upper lip prevailed then, and perhaps there was some embarrassment that the tragedy had happened on our patch, given later, simple solutions may have helped prevent it.

So did I (learned a bit - cheers Benny)

But as tmgj alluded to, my comments were meant more in the context of more recent disasters. BWFC and the fans haven't jumped on any "sympathy bandwagon" and to this day keep it respectful 

Even as late as the "Normid" days there was still a generational thing of "not making a fuss". With hindsight, yeah it was wrong, but hindsight is a wonderful gift