Hillsborough Tragedy - 15 April 1989

[bela lugosi]

This was an awful tragedy which happened and looking back with hindsight it wasn't the first in British football grounds..there was also Bolton football club at Burnden park...the Ibrox disaster at Rangers football club in Glasgow...the fire at Bradford city's stadium..then as we all know Hillsborough...it is a disgrace that nothing was done before Hillsborough after the other tragedies and it would never have occured. I attended Anfield after the disaster with family members to leave tributes and support for the grieving families and it leaves goosepimples as i write this as its still so emotional thinking back to it...i am not a Liverpool supporter but their biggest rivals from Manchester yet im so glad that most people felt extreme sympathy for those poor people who went to just support their team that day and never returned home safely. RIP

[Seagorath]

Damn, those photos are tough.

[Miho]

I wear to God Miho you must be logging my google searches. I was on you tube looking at this and the soccer tragedy where the stadium caught fire and burned completely in like five minutes with several killed and injured. That is so wild I did that search last night while killing time waiting for someone from China to log into a meeting!
LOL great minds I guess.
It was such a tragedy. That picture through the fence with the two young women it is so clear they are dead and did not die easy.

regards,
mary

Haha Mary great minds do think alike.

I think we have a thread about that stadium fire around here somewhere. I just get these urges to revisit cases.

Those pics are some of the toughest that I have ever seen. You just know they are gone. I have been trying so hard to compare those people at the front of the gate to the deceased. Haven't had any luck.

[Miho]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...ster-survivors

[Miho]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/...ant-Sorry.html

[shipmatekate]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/...ant-Sorry.html

Holy crap...........

Fascinating story

Thanks

[artymorty]

I'm from Liverpool and that day had a horrible feel to it.We had taken our 2 kids out to a local park and I got the most horrible feeling wash over me.I told my husband I wanted to go home,I had no idea why.When we got back to the street there people in groups talking,but I ran in the house and put the telly on.It was confusing.There were people laying on the pitch and police seemingly herding others back into fenced areas-there was so much confusion, it looked like the police-some- thought it was a pitch invasion, and others appeared to be helping knowing more than others what was happening .
The phone rang later that day and I was called in to work.I was a youth worker and it wasn't our normal day to work, but all clubs had to be opened up to deal with upset young people.
I got to my youth club and young men were standing around sobbing.Some of them had been behind the fencing and had managed to escape the crush- only to be caught by the police-and shoved back in.They were shaking as they told how they narrowly escaped death.One of my youth worker friends had a brother who died that day.She told me that they took her brother to a make shift morgue.She was furious because a black bin liner had been placed over his head- then they went round AFTER to check people were dead.
Her mum was also a youth worker-she fought like hell to get "Justice for the 96", even pretending to shake hands with Maggie Thatcher then grabbing her hand and demanding answers and not letting go until she was forced.
My friend was told she couldn't have the words "killed at Hillsborough " put on her brothers grave as killed implied murder and only soldiers were allowed that.So she told me the story of how she threatened to dig up her brother if the vicar denied her request.She won.

Although you will find it hard to believe, but some of those squashed girls in the front of the picture actually did live.They continued to go to matches.I could barely believe it myself when I saw their pictures the week after- no blue in their face and smiling.Thank God for some mercy's.The gutter press ran stories of bodies being pick pocketed and looted.This was a viscious lie based on no truth,and the Liverpool people have never forgiven or forgotten that.Another thing which rankled was stories of footballers wives giving "counselling" to grieving young people.These young people were devestated and needed professional help for a long time.
Money was never the issue for the families, they wanted the police to find out why it went it went wrong so badly and for those responsible to own up to what caused the tragedy.Fortunately, health and safety in grounds did improve after this tragic incident, but it burnt on people's minds because it literally happened in front of peoples eyes on the tv and press coverage was huge.

[NineTails20]

I'm a Liverpool supporter of almost 40 years. Although I'm not Scouse, there's always been a close affinity between the Irish and the city of Liverpool.

While its only right and proper to demand Justice For The 96, we should also remember the dozens of young men who, due to the horrors they saw that April day, either sank into addiction, depression and who ultimately took their own lives. Go onto any LFC-centric forum,and you'll find several survivors there.

One of the ways in which we want justice done, and seen to be done, is for that rag, The S*n, to admit they were wrong to print the horrible, disgusting lies they did the Monday after the tragedy. The boycotting of the paper is still going strong in the city of Liverpool.

The youngest victim of the tragedy was 10 year old Jon Paul Gilhooley. 22 years after his death, his cousin is now first team captain Steven Gerrard.

The scars of Hillsborough run deep in Liverpool to this day. And as a proud LFC supporter, I still say Justice For The 96. YNWA.

[Trilby]

I remember this I was 17 at the time. The Hillsborough Disaster is the reason I stopped buying The Sun newspaper. They were disgraceful and blamed the Liverpool fans. Billy Bragg has just written a new song about this among other things (considering the 'phone hacking stuff going on at the moment) called 'Never Buy The Sun', with a chorus that sings 'the scousers never buy the sun'.

http://www.billybragg.co.uk/blog/?p=183

[Nelliebean]

I can't get over the tall guy with the curly hair pressed up against the fence.
It's been over a year since I saw the picture and it's still disturbing.

Anyone know if he made it?

[NineTails20]

http://dontbuythesun.co.uk/site/

http://www.hfdinfo.com/

http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/


These sites are a mine of information. And just to show how deeply the tragedy still affects both the club and its fans, managers and players past and present, this is a clip taken from the remembrance service this year. The speaker is Margaret Aspinall, who lost her son at Hillsborough. Rafael Benitez was LFC manager until July 2010. Out of his severance money, he gave £96,000 to the HFSG.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRllR...eature=related

[NineTails20]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...-the-sun-audio


Scousers never buy The S*n.

[Yvonne]

Scousers indeed never ever buy the "Scum". The Editor of this so called newspaper at the time of Hillsborough, Kelvin McKenzie, continues to say that what was reported was correct - he's a horrible skanky up his own arse nothing!

[NineTails20]

Kelvin McKenzie is a c**t of the highest order. When he dies a slow agonizing death, Satan will be there to dance on his carcass in hobnailed boots.

[Tiffany]

I am sorry but I am so confused. What happened? The post says something about someone wanting to go home then police wer every where crying. And squshed girls. I don't know this incident.

[NineTails20]

Check out this site:

http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough


It goes into detail about the disaster, and has testimonies from some survivors as well as some of the players who were playing that day.

[Yvonne]

Basically the police lost control of a crowd (soccer fans) and the person in charge froze and made wrong decisions, leading to the death of 96 people. The Police and media then reported that it had been the fans fault - a myth which continues today. A Public Inquiry exonerated the fans, further stating that if it hadn't been for the actions of the fans in performing first aid and helping the injured - many others may have died.

The police decided that the Liverpool Fans would go into the Leppings Lane of the ground (a ground which had lost it's safety certificate) and because it was nearly match kick off - and there were still hundreds of fans waiting to enter - the police decided to open some gates to "control" the crowd. (The Liverpool Fans had travelled to Sheffield, and had been held up due to a motorway/highway accident.) The gates led to the middle Pen and fans were pushed down towards this pen - which was already overcrowded. The Pens to the left and right were relatively empty! The people going into the middle pen were swept up and had no control and the pressure got worse and worse. At the front of the pen people were being squashed to death - and the police were looking on - not realising people were dying???

The history of British Soccer is that there had been a lot of violent behaviour in the 1970s - this led to the terraces having fences put up to stop people going on the pitch - another thing is that in British football grounds we had terraces - where people stood throughout a match.

Many, many people will talk about Hillsborough and link it to fans fighting etc. This is not what happened. The people of Liverpool, and the people who lost family continue to seek the truth about what happened that day. I know a lot of people think we should let it drop - but we in Liverpool don't let things drop.

News International - owners of the "Scum" and News of the World have failed in their efforts to get Liverpool people to buy their rags - because of the lies they told about Hillsborough. They have now been caught out hacking cell phones of dead soilders - murdered children - and victims of 9/11? Which proves without any doubt at all that we in Liverpool were right in not buying the newspapers that told such dreadful lies 22 years ago.

News International also own newspapers/media in America - I think the Wall Street Times and Fox? I hope that their evil reporting, hacking of cell phones etc - lead to this company's downfall, because this is what they deserve.

[NineTails20]

Last time my family and I went to Liverpool, my kids would hide The S*n under piles of other papers, so no-one would see it and buy it. They've been known to let rip at people who say they support Liverpool, but read The S*n.

This video goes some way to explain how Liverpool feels about Murdoch and his rag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q26wgbOMBI4

[Metal Mel]

Do they still use wire fencing like that in the stadiums anymore or did the tragedy at least make them change up how they keep fans off the pitch?

Just curious - its hard to tell from watching games on TV here in the States.

[NineTails20]

As a result of Hillsborough and the Taylor Report, all British stadia has no fencing, and more importantly, no terracing(standing areas). While some say the lack of terracing has taken some of the atmosphere away from games, the main thing is that no-one will ever go to a match and die due to police incompetence again.

[Ted Challinor]

The sheer arrogance of the likes of Kelvin McKenzie is indicative of why News Int. is so discredited today. It's come a long way - Murdoch apologising to Milly Dowler's parents. But it's a Shame we can't force McKenzie on to a one-way train to Lime Street and tell those affected by Hillsborough what time be arriving....

[LightoftheMoon]

I didn't know about this tragedy. Like other hags, I can't forget the pictures of those crushed in the stadium. I've seen gory- and then I've seen these victims- suffocating...

[NineTails20]

And not before time.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...yside-14300878

[artymorty]

Thanks ninetails ,at long last.

[DrDeath]

I was meant to be at the game- godparents are liverpool fans and were going to take me for my 10th birthday a few days after. Unfortunately for whatever reason we were unable to go and I was happy to watch it on TV with my grandpa on his knee. Until things started to go wrong. I couldn't fully comprehend at that age what was happening but knowing it was bad cos my football loathing mother and grandma came in to watch. All I remember is Des Lynam, bless him, on Grandstand trying to articulate what was happening with limited info.

[dia846]

I've read all the posts and the links here. This is beyond awful. So many deaths preventable if people would have been more mindful of what was happening. I hope major changes will stop something like this from ever happening again. Many lives lost for no reason, and families and loved ones devastated forever.

I'm confused, however, about something. This horrible tragedy is in this section and I'm very, very glad it is, but other equally major tragedies have been put in Life Goes On, where itâ??s harder to find, especially for someone who hasnâ??t signed up yet but would like to read. A few people I know have lost friends/loved ones in massive loss of life accidents through the years that have threads here, but those are not part of the Notable section, and I wish they could be, also. All grief and sadness in these tragedies are the same to those who are left behind or lived through it.

My apologies if I've spoken out of turn. I think everyone posting here is doing a great job, and the moderators responsibilty is something I could never in a million years handle.

[Yvonne]

I'm confused, however, about something. This horrible tragedy is in this section and I'm very, very glad it is, but other equally major tragedies have been put in Life Goes On, where it’s harder to find, especially for someone who hasn’t signed up yet but would like to read. A few people I know have lost friends/loved ones in massive loss of life accidents through the years that have threads here, but those are not part of the Notable section, and I wish they could be, also. All grief and sadness in these tragedies are the same to those who are left behind or lived through it.

My apologies if I've spoken out of turn. I think everyone posting here is doing a great job, and the moderators responsibilty is something I could never in a million years handle. [/QUOTE]

Because the site changed some months ago. This section was called "Other Deaths in the News", and this thread was contained within this. Just a technicality!

[dia846]

Thank you, Yvonne. I still wish all of the massive tragedies could be on here like they used to be for the years when I was a just a reader, as I feel all of the lost lives and the situations that caused their deaths are Notable. However, I don't know a thing about the ins and outs of putting together a forum and threads, so I definitely know I couldn't handle it.

I do appreciate your thoughtful reply explaining the changes. I do know that no one here is meant to be overlooked, so there are rememberance threads for them elsewhere.

[Perdi]

And not before time.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...yside-14300878

That really is great news. About time we were able to see the truth!!

[neilmpenny]

I remember this. Truly horrible.

[Nelliebean]

I'm still amazed that someone could stand in front of a wall of dying people and take pictures.

[elyK]

I'm still amazed that someone could stand in front of a wall of dying people and take pictures.

ditto, that is so wrong. I know sometimes there is nothing a person can do, but in that situation, drop the camera & see what you can do to HELP!

[Nelliebean]

ditto, that is so wrong. I know sometimes there is nothing a person can do, but in that situation, drop the camera & see what you can do to HELP!

Yup! Shit or get off the pot!

[furrypolka]

I can't get over the tall guy with the curly hair pressed up against the fence.
It's been over a year since I saw the picture and it's still disturbing.

Anyone know if he made it?

I can remember seeing these photographs at the time and I have never forgotten it - I was 13 then, and for all these years I have never forgotten. I was watching on TV as it all happened live, as I had been with the Bradford fire four years earlier.

The handsome man with the curly hair I think was Francis McAllister, the lady in front of him pressed up against the bars is Marian McCabe. The blonde lady in one of the other photographs with the oversized sunglasses I believe to be Inger Shah. Sadly all died. I think Inger was no longer with us in this photograph, her lips are so blue. The look in that guys eyes in the last pic - like he had just quit, haunting.

Rest in peace all 96 x

[furrypolka]

Also, low-res but here is a 20 minute video of the tragedy happening. You can see some police pushing around some obviously frantic people at some point - I don't understand how they couldn't see immediately how serious this was:
http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/history/index.shtm

[Nelliebean]

The handsome man with the curly hair I think was Francis McAllister, the lady in front of him pressed up against the bars is Marian McCabe. The blonde lady in one of the other photographs with the oversized sunglasses I believe to be Inger Shah. Sadly all died. I think Inger was no longer with us in this photograph, her lips are so blue. The look in that guys eyes in the last pic - like he had just quit, haunting.

Rest in peace all 96 x[/QUOTE]

Damn! That's depressing.

[Nelliebean]

Crap! I looked at those damn pictures again.

[artymorty]

Nellie - the way I cope with it is to think that some of the blue lipped people actually lived.As I said in a previous post I am from Liverpool and was amazed when a few days later I got several newspapers for the latest up date on it, and there was a few of the girls from the front who you were certain must have persihed , smiling and talking about how it hadn't put them off going to football matches.Amazing .
Arty.x

[DrDeath]

Yeah they are haunting. I'm not sure the lady in the oversized glasses is Inger cos on her memorial page in the Liverpool Echo she's got straight brown hair. Course that could be an old picture. To be honest the only one that I think it could be is Sarah Hicks as she's the only blonde woman who died according to the pics. However as Arty said, somehow some of those who looked doomed in the pics did live so it's possible she isn't dead but she doesn't look good.

That last pic of Frankie McCallister is horrendous. He does look like he's either dead or close and with what looks like vomit in his hair. Just awful.

[artymorty]

After much digging,I found the names of the 2 girls who everyone thought had died in the crush.Here's the quote from the Liverpool Daily Post-

"One much-publicised picture, printed in the Liverpool Daily Post, showed the agonising faces of close friends Debbie Routledge and Lisa Riding pinned to that fence.
MIRACULOUSLY, they survived and lived to tell the horrific tale."


Read More http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/...#ixzz1obj3j5gA

[Nelliebean]

Pardon my language, but after reading the whole article I'd say the police FUCKED UP big time. Ordering people BACK who were trying to help?????????

Were any charges brought against these cops? Talk about piss poor judgement!

[Nelliebean]

The treatment of parents right after identifying the dead is inexcusable.

Being pulled away from the body and interrogated about alcohol consumption?

It's a wonder some of these parents didn't deck a cop.

[Nelliebean]

G'night Arty! I hope to make it across the pond one of these days.

[Cynful]

The Hillsborough Disaster: One fan's story...

http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/fourfou...n-s-story.aspx

[artymorty]

Thought it was time to resurrect this thread in the light of the news .Families have waited 23 years for this.It has now been revealed that police altered witness statements to show the police in a better light .They also led a smear campaign against the fans ( assisted by that dreadful headline in the Sun newspaper ) making out fans were drunk.Appallingly they even did alcohol tests on the children as well to try and prove some fans were innebriated.The most shocking fact to come out is 41 people may have been saved out of the 96 ,had not the police totally failed in their duty to bring in ambulances .

I was just reading the long coverage of this in the Daily Mail and how those families will come to terms with these fresh developments I have no idea.There is a very good picture of a friend of mine who lost a family member amongst their photo's.She just looks shell shocked .I think that word sums it up.

[Yvonne]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...yside-19577033

Just thought I'd bump this thread and update anyone who's interested in what has happened in the UK since Wednesday. An Independent Panel was appointed and have spent three years going through various documentation. They produced a massive report, which was released on Wednesday. The report created a media frenzy and has vindicated families, survivors and indeed all us who live in Liverpool.

In a nutshell the agencies colluded to cover up their failures on the day, and deliberately fabricated evidence that the fans had been responsible. The extent of the cover up is huge and involved the South Yorkshire Police; Sheffield City Council; Sheffield Wed FC; the FA; Ambulance Service; Coroner's Office.

This tragedy happened 23 years ago, and during this time, it was only mainly in Liverpool that we knew what had happened. Now the whole of the UK knows the TRUTH, and for the first time the city is receiving empathy from the whole country, because before we were called "moaners" and told to move on.

Fact is that although Liverpool is a large city, we have a small town mentality and we stick together.

The next step is Justice - in that those responsible are held accountable for perverting the course of justice, which is a criminal offence.

JFT96

[theotherlondon]

Here's a pic of Debbie Routledge who amazingly survived and still attends matches.What a brave woman .I couldn't find anything on Lisa Riding.
Attachment 41675

As a person who enjoys football/soccer
this photo is still hard to look at.

[pkstracy]

I found more. I'm sorry if this upsets anyone, I am just fascinated, revolted, and horribly sad....

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/...PQdDy/610x.jpg

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/...LB9Rb/610x.jpg

http://images.dailyexpress.co.uk/img...14/61425_1.jpg

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/...xaabT/610x.jpg

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/...wA5se/610x.jpg

Holy hell, the last pic the guy has a blank look in his eyes and drool coming from his mouth, I would say he is dead? or am I wrong?

[artymorty]

I read today that the findings that have just been revealed were known about 14 years ago and weren't acted upon.How low can you go ?

Pkstracy- I don't know if he's dead, he still has good colour .I sincerely hope he was pulled out alive ,I wish we knew .......

[pkstracy]

I read today that the findings that have just been revealed were known about 14 years ago and weren't acted upon.How low can you go ?

Pkstracy- I don't know if he's dead, he still has good colour .I sincerely hope he was pulled out alive ,I wish we knew .......

The pick above the last one is of him as well, screaming I think then the last one just shows him staring blankly. Does anyone know if he died or not?