Lest we forget we the Bradford 56.

By Nathan Jackson
September 3 2007

May 11th 1985 was a day that changed football forever for all the wrong reasons. The day was supposed to be a celebration as Bradford had won promotion, but it didn't quite go to plan. A freak fire caused by a dropped cigarette saw one stand set alight and 56 fans tragically lost their lives in a day that neither club wants to remember, but can never forget.

Stand's can be rebuilt and football games can be replayed, but nothing can ever erase the memories that most share of May 11th 1985, nor can those the lives of the 56 fans be restored. It's hard to put into words a moment that you weren't a part of. Aged just 8 months old at the time of the fire, all I have to go on are the stories of the fans who were unfortunate enough to be at Valley Parade 22 years ago.

Within 2 minutes of a fan disposing of a cigarette in the wooden Edwardian Stand, the stand caught alight and was a fireball quicker than most people could act. Hundreds were seriously injured, many more had minor injuries, they all left however with terrible memories to fill the rest of their lives, however, at least they got to leave unlike 56 others.

For the first time since those horrific events, the sides will meet in the League on Friday night where tributes will be made in the form of a minute's silence, and also all the players will wear black armbands. It is expected that similar tributes will be made in the return game on December 26th.

The normal emotions that most feel at games will be secondary as two clubs united by tradegy remember those that tragically lost their lives.

As our own mini-tribute, we would like to say RIP to the victims of the tradegy, and also that our thoughts go out to the friends and families of all concerned.

THE 56 (in surname alphabetical order)

John Ackroyd

Edmund Anderton

Alexander Baines

Herbert Bamford

Christopher Bulmer

Jack Coxon

Leo Coxon

David Crabtree

Harry Crabtree

Derek Dempsey

Muriel Firth

Samuel Firth

Andrew Fletcher

Edmond Fletcher

John Fletcher

Peter Fletcher

Nellie Forster

Felix Greenwood

Peter Greenwood

Rupert Greenwood

Norman Hall

Peter Halliday

Arthur Hartley

Edith Hindle

Fred Hindle

Moira Hodgson

Eric Hudson

John Hughes

John Hutton

Walter Kerr

Peter Lovell

Jack Ludlam

Gordon McPherson

Irene McPherson

Roy Mason

Fred Middleton

Harold Mitchell

Elizabeth Mull

Ernest Normington

Gerald Ormondroyd

Richard Ormondroyd

Robert Ormonddroyd

Sylvia Pollard

Herbert Price

Amanda Roberts

Jane Sampson

William Stacey

Craig Stockman

Jane Stockman

Trevor Stockman

Howard Turner

Sarah Turner

Simon Ward

Robert Wedgeworth

William West

Adrian Wright