Wednesday, 10 May, 2018
I was born in Bethnal Green Hospital, which isn’t there any more. I grew up on Lessada Street in Bethnal Green, also not there any more.
I heard little bits of a story about how people were crushed at Bethnal Green tube station four years before I was born. As an adult I heard more about it. It was considered the worst civilian disasters of our time, worse than Hillsborough or Aberfan, with 173 deaths, 62 of whom were children.
Bethnal Green underground station (I think not yet ready for trains since it opened officially in 1946) was used as a shelter and on the evening of 3rd March, 1943 people were heading there after an air raid siren was heard. Suddenly a new sound was heard and people panicked and rushed down the 19 dark, wet steps. A woman holding a child tripped and fell and others followed, with bodies falling on top of other bodies, five or six deep. They were crushed or suffocated within ten to fifteen seconds.
Here’s a first-hand account of the tragedy.
They’ve been talking about a memorial for many years and finally it was erected. I passed it several times on days I couldn’t stop but last week I found the time on a lovely, sunny day.
