Bolton 1946

On 9 March 1946 Bolton Wanderers were hosting Stoke City in the second-leg of a Football Association Cup Sixth Round tie. Shortly before the 3.00pm kick-off, a section of the densely packed crowd on the terraces in the north west corner of Burnden Park swayed uncontrollably, two crush barriers collapsed and many spectators fell forward on top of those in front of them. Under the pile of humanity, thirty three people asphyxiated and around them hundreds of others were injured.

 

After enquiries and hostile media reports the fans got blamed, particularly as many had gained entry illegaly. However...

 

The stadium had been requisitioned by the Ministry of Supply during the war the Burnden Stand as storage space during the War and the facility had not yet been returned to its normal usage. The Stand with its 2,789 seats was not available for spectators. Secondly the turnstiles at the east end of the Railway Embankment which adjoined that stand had been closed since 1940. Thus all the 28,000+ Embankment spectators had to enter from the Manchester Road (west) end. Thirdly, the 9,000 who held tickets to the paddock in front of the Burnden Stand had to be admitted through the entrances to the Main Stand paddock and then escorted by police around the north end of the playing surface to their assigned area. They were thus using entrances immediately adjacent to the turnstiles admitting the Embankment spectators. The combination of a bigger than expected crowd, and the numbers obliged to come in at the north-west corner led to acute congestion inside the ground and outside where much of the space between the turnstiles and the main road was used as a car park. Ultimately, the turnstiles in this area were closed. Subsequent to that action, an undetermined number of spectators gained improper entry by one of three means. Some simply climbed over the turnstiles, others climbed up onto the railway line atop the embankment and broke into the ground by removing sections of fencing, and yet others entered by way of an exit gate opened from the inside by a spectator seeking escape for himself and his son from the intensifying crush.

 

The authorities hadn't been prepared, despite the post war boom interest in football. On 13 February a record crowd of 51,612 included "hundreds sitting on the roof of a shelter behind one of the goals" at Burnden Park. Add to this the fact that this was a FA cup quarter final and the fact that a certain Stanley Mathews was playing for Stoke should have led to better preparation from the authorities... it didn't and the pattern was to be tragically repeated.

 

RIP.

There's a picture of the Disaster in the Free Metro Newspaper today,id imagine it's taken of the embankment,ive never seen so many people crowded together in one place.

 

R.I.P Fellow Whites,Gone but never Forgotten!

R.I.P.

 

There was a good thread about the disaster last year with relayed accounts and lot's of insight if anyone can be arsed digging it up.

RIP

RIP

RIP sad loss of all that died.

Very sad and my thoughts go out to the people who died and those familes affected.

 

I take my 12 year old daughter to the Reebok and it makes you wonder how grateful we are today to go to a match in safety.

 

Having said that when I was a teenager in the Burnden Terrace it got pretty tricky when some idiots started singing let's all have a disco

 

RIP

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/418500...saster_tribute/

 

A SOLEMN crowd is set to gather to remember the worst tragedy in Bolton Wanderers? history.

 

It is exactly 63 years to the day since the Burnden Park disaster, when 33 supporters were crushed to death when pitchside barriers gave way during a sixth round FA Cup match against Stoke City.

 

To mark the anniversary, there will be a minute?s silence at 3.02pm ? the time the tragedy occurred ? outside Asda supermarket, in Burnden Way, which stands on land where Burnden Park used to be.

 

In 1992, a plaque commemorating those who died was unveiled at Burnden Park ground by Trotters? legend Nat Lofthouse, now aged 83, who was a member of the team on that fateful day.

 

When the club moved to the Reebok Stadium in 1997, the plaque was put in storage and was given to Woolworths bosses, who put it on display outside the Big W store, where Asda now stands.

 

Asda staff wanted to mark the occasion due to popular demand from customers and Wanderers? supporters.

 

An Asda spokesman said: ?We are keen to acknowledge the anni-versary to respect the wishes of our customers and we would like to invite anyone interested to come to this small-but-important ceremony at about 2.45pm.

 

?A local vicar will say some words to allow visitors to pay respects to those who died.?

 

Speaking previously about the disaster, Nat Lofthouse said: ?Every time I visit the Burnden Park land I can?t help but remember the good times we had until that very tragic day. I will never, ever forget.?

RIP.

RIP.

RIP.

 

RIP

R.I.P

A sad loss. Hard to understand how so many could have died at a football match R.I.P

Speaking previously about the disaster, Nat Lofthouse said: Every time I visit the Burnden Park land I can't help but remember the good times we had until that very tragic day. I will never, ever forget.

 

I think this says a lot about how many people feel of the club.

Rest In Peace.

Edited March 10, 200917 yr by hampo69