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Burnden Park Disaster

 
 

9th March 1946

 


 

60 Years on

On the 9th March 1946, Stoke City travelled to Burnden Park the then home of Bolton Wanders for the second leg of an F.A. Cup 6th round tie.

A huge crowd was expected that day and it's not difficult to understand why. Football in general was beginning to experience a massive upsurge in attendances due to the promise of better times ahead following the war years, added to which Bolton had  surprisingly won the first match at the Victoria Ground and the promise of a semi final place beckoned. Despite the ground having reduced capacity, the game was not all ticket, as ticketed games where extremely unpopular at the time, and lastly was the promise that the Stoke team would include Stanley Matthews, a player of such renown it was said could add a minimum of  7, 000 to any attendance.

The previous highest recorded attendance at Burnden Park had been 69,912 in 1933/4, in 1945/6 the highest had been 43,000.By kick-off time of the Stoke game the turnstile count had reached 65,000,the official attendance being given as 65,419.However, it was estimated a minimum 2,000 gained illegal entry, with a further 15,000 turned away.

Other estimates and sources place the actual numbers on the ground as high as between 85,000 and 90,000.

Matters were further complicated as several turnstiles had been made unusable, as the Burnden Stand, which normally held 2,789 had been requisitioned by the Ministry of Supply and had not yet been returned to normal use, with the result that the 28,000+ on the Railway embankment had to enter from the Manchester Road ( West End). In addition ticket holders in the Burnden Paddock were also admitted through entrances in this area and then escorted around the pitch to their places, resulting in a huge build up in the North West corner.

At 2:40 the turnstiles were closed, though spectators continued to gain access to the embankment terrace via one of three methods, some simply climbed over turnstiles and walls, others via the railway line that ran along the top of the embankment then by breaking down sections of fencing and thirdly when a father and son wanting to escape the developing crush picked the padlock off an exit gate, with the result that more spectators poured through the open exit gate. With ten minutes to go before kick-off an estimated 1,000 spectators gained entry by climbing over the boys entrance whilst others  climbed on top of a stationary train to view the game.

Shortly before 3:00 pm as the two teams came out, uncontrollable swaying and crushing took place in the North West corner leading to two barriers collapsing under the weight and pressure exerted by the crowd. Initially the crowd surged forward, then sunk and in the crushing that followed 33 supporters lost their lives and an estimated 400+ injured.

The game continued for twelve minutes, as hundreds of spectators spilled onto the track surrounding the pitch, before eventually the seriousness of the situation was realised and the players were taken from the pitch.

Play resumed at 3:25PM, after several thousand spectators were moved from the embankment to the Burnden Stand. The game continued without further incident, the result ,which later seems almost immaterial, was a  0-0 draw and Bolton it was who went through to the semi final of the cup.

An enquiry headed by Justice R Moelwyn Hughes was ordered by the then Home Secretary James Chuter Ede and opened on the 22nd March 1946 and formally presented on the 25th May 1946.
 

This page is dedicated to the 33  supporters who so tragically lost their lives and to the many hundreds who were injured .

 

WILFRED ADDISON  Moss Side, Manchester.
WILFRED ALLISON (19)  Leigh.
FRED BATTERSBY (31)  Atherton.
JAMES BATTERSBY (33)  Atherton.
ROBERT BENTHAM (33)  Atherton.
HENRY BIMSON (59)  Leigh.
HENRY RATCLIFFE BIRTWISTLE (14)  Blackburn.
JOHN T BLACKSHAW  Rochdale.
W BRAIDWOOD (40)  Hindley.
FRED CAMPBELL (33) Bolton.
FRED PRICE DEARDEN (67)  Bolton.
WILLIAM EVANS (33)  Leigh.
WINSTON FINCH  Hazel Grove, Stockport.
JOHN FLINDERS (32)  Littleborough.
ALBERT EDWARD HANRAHAN  Winton, Eccles.
EMILY HOSKINSON (40)  Bolton.
WILLIAM HUGHES (56)  Poolstock, Wigan.
FRANK JUBB  Rochdale.
JOHN LIVESEY (37) Bamber Bridge, Preston.
JOHN THOMAS LUCAS (35) Leigh.
HAROLD MCANDREW  Wigan.
WILLIAM MCKENZIE  Bury.
MORGAN MOONEY (32) Bolton.
HARRY NEEDHAM (30)  Bolton.
DAVID PEARSON Rochdale.
JOSEPH PLATT (43) Bolton.
SIDNEY POTTER (36) Tyldesley.
GRENVILLE ROBERTS  Ashton-in-Makerfield.
RICHARD ROBEY (35) Barnoldswick.
THOMAS ROBEY (65)  Billinge, Wigan.
T SMITH (65)  Rochdale.
WALTER WILMOT (31) Bolton.
JAMES WILSON Higher Openshaw, Manchester

 
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