Unveiled by Sybil Phoenix, a community leader who had beencalled to the scen Fencing master and coach. In the early morning on Sunday 18 January 1981, a fire broke out at 439 New Cross Road in the London Borough of Lewisham. The Independent on Sunday has also learned that much of the blame will be directed at a group of adults who were at the party that night. Major Henry Anthony Birkbeck held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) 1 He was awarded the Military Cross (M.C.) Thats what counselling does for you; every Monday, I end up crying my eyes out because of things that Id blocked out for years., Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. It featured contributions from Alex Pascall, Gus John, filmmaker Menelik Shabazz, novelist Courttia Newland and musicians Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson. Prince Andrew 'fears he won't be able to afford Royal Lodge if King Charles cuts his 250K grant - but is Can you solve this trivia riddle? The South London blaze and the failure to find the culprit helped crystallise the feeling that those in authority did not care for them. Recommended option. He was buried on 20 July 1983 in Lewisham. The fourteen victims of the New Cross massacre were: Rosaline Henry; Patricia Johnson; Humphrey Brown; Gerry Paul Francis; Owen Wesley Thompson; Andrew Gooding; Peter Campbell; Lloyd Hall; Patrick Cummings; Steve Collins; Yvonne Ruddock; Glenton Powell; Paul Ruddock; and Anthony Berbeck. On 1 March, the Daily Mail falsely reported that several of the fire survivors were arrested and would face severe charges in what black Britons saw as an attempt to undermine the demonstration and the black communitys inquest into the house fire. The exact cause of the fire has never been determined and the original inquest returned an open verdict, much to the dismay of the families of the victims. . [32], Rex Obano's radio play Lover's Rock (BBC Radio 3, broadcast in November 2012) is a fictional account of the events leading up to the New Cross Fire. Parliament says nothing. | Refreshments are available both before and after the service. Please use the search above if you cannot find the record you require. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. The second inquest has been an unprecedented opportunity for families, survivors and the police to try and provide answers to questions which have haunted them all for the past 23 years. Anthony Birbeck is on Facebook. Born in Timioara, Romania. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? For many, it seemed as though Black lives did not matter. The party had started the night before on January 17, 1981 but the fire started around 5.40am the following morning.. Other occupants: Sylvia K Birbeck. The Action Committee sought to raise awareness of the tragedy, raise money for the bereaved, and establish the true cause of the fire. No one has ever been charged in relation to the incident. So what new news have we found out from the same damn man?. On 18 January 1981 he was at a party held at 439 New Cross Road, London, SE14 6TA that claimed 13 lives as a result of a fire and subsequently became disturbed following the deaths of his best friends. In early April, an estimated 943 peoples were stopped and searched by the police under Sus laws, an addendum to the 1824 Vagrancy Act, and 188 black youths were arrested. Anthony Berbeck. Others carried loudspeakers and banners bearing the names and faces of thevictims. Show more 4 months left. Find staff in Birkbeck's Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics. Name. | This week, a new inquest will be opened into all 14 deaths following an extensive forensic reinvestigation by police which includes an analysis of the movement of people at the house party. Michael Smithyman, who had been jailed for killing his pregnant girlfriend, was the subject of a police report submitted to the Home Office and was reinterviewed by an elite Scotland Yard unit in 1993. Sign up hereto stay up to date with the best new TV. The New Cross Fire tragedy highlighted hostility between black Britons, the police and the media. At the time, the area saw a lot of racist attacks and far-right political activity, with the National Front having a significant presence. The disaster claimed a 14th victim two years later when 20-year-old Anthony Berbeck took his own life in 1983 because of what an inquest judge called "trauma brought on by the fire". New Cross fire tragedy remembered 40 years on. "But when I looked at my hand I realised that it was my own skin that I was rubbing off my face instead of sweat or grit. Many believed the move demonstrated naked contempt towards a black community inmourning. Over the forty years, events have continued to be held to commemorate the tragedy and remember those who lost their lives. My specialities are: - UX and human-centred design - user research - content. Police initially thought the inferno was caused by a firebomb thrown through a downstairs window. The tragedy led to a huge protest march in London in March 1981 and tensions then erupted into ferocious violence when the capital witnessed its worst civil disorder of the 20th Century with the Brixton riots that April. Stephen Birbeck. 439, New Cross Road. Witnesses stated that he threw a Molotov cocktail into the house party. The house had been full the night before, with revellers celebrating the sixteenth birthday of Yvonne Ruddock and the eighteenth birthday of her friend Angela Jackson. When 48 people died in the Stardust disco fire in Dublin, Ireland, in the early hours of 14 February that year, the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Queen offered their immediate condolences. When the Black community locks shop and puts up a wall of silence regarding what goes on within our community - nothing comes out. Since the article was published over the weekend, social media has been awash with speculation about the cause of the fire while Wayne continues to receive numerous phone calls from campaigners celebrating what has been regarded as a long-awaited uncovering of truth. It seeks to deepen understandings of the past, cast light on the present and agitate for change in the world we live in now. Lovers rock tracks pumped from a sound system as revellers jostled for space on the dancefloor. The loss of so many of his friends became intolerable for him and he died after falling from a block of flats. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Survivor season 41 - everything we know about the cast, 1981 New Cross Fire wasnt a racist attack, survivor says, he appeared in a 2020 documentary co-produced by Nadine White about the Black Peoples Day of Action march, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off and extra perks with Booking.com Genius membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off selected items using this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Both inquests recorded open verdicts. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Uprising connects three chapters in recent British history through powerful testimonials and archive footage: the New Cross fire and the Black Peoples Day of Action, when 20,000 people marched on central London to protest against the silence from the state. Save my name and email address in this browser for the next time I comment. ANTHONY, N.M. - NASA White Sands Test Facility Fire Department escorted the remains of Lt. Edward Vasquez from Albuquerque to his hometown of Anthony, New Mexico, on Friday, with aid from local . The group also plan to launch a charity to support those affected by the tragedy and help forward the aspirations of young, Black people of Caribbean heritage. Its a state ofbarbarism.. It hits you again with full force. And Im still in therapy because Ive only just realised how much the fire affected me. Over the years, a number of reviews and follow-up enquiries have been conducted. Police have launched a murder inquiry after survivors described how they saw a car being driven away from the incident as the fire broke out. On the night of the fire, nine black youth died. An assembly of the people consisting of five hundred black Britons was formed to investigate the killings. Among the victims was 16-year-old Yvonne Ruddock, who had been celebrating her birthday with around 50 guests when the blaze broke out in the early hours of Sunday, 19 January. It will then cause further division which makes it harder for us to get to the bottom of anything.. Join Facebook to connect with Anthony Birbeck and others you may know. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. The victims were also commemorated in January 2011 with a blue plaque from Nubian Jak Community Trust. But forensic evidence then suggested it began inside the house. Police initially said the blaze had been started by a firebomb that had been thrown through a ground-floor window. "Even comedians who know . We are old people and we want to know the truth before we die.". Anthony Grayling CBE, MA, DPhil (Oxon) FRSL, FRSA is Master of the New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. Anthony BIRBECK Filter appointments Filter appointments Current appointments Total number of appointments 7 Date of birth April 1961 CHESTER-LE-STREET CC TRADING LIMITED (10000684) Company. The Black People's Day of Action march took place on March 2, 1981 - six weeks after the New Cross fire that claimed the lives of 13 young Black people. Anthony Cross. And he went and kissed his father and that was the last we saw of my son. In the face of this silence, activists from across London established the New Cross Massacre Action Committee. Id travelled down from Rugby [in Warwickshire] and wanted to hear rastaman music, he says with alaugh. Theion TVnewsletter is a daily email full of suggestions of what to watch as well as the latest TV news, opinions and interviews. What is that? A white Austin Princess car was seen driving away from the fire. On the night of the fire, nine black youth died. Lebanon police arrested 27-year-old Anthony Boisvert, of Lebanon, in connection with the incident. The third documentary charts escalating racial tensions that led to the Brixton riots in April that year and defined race relations for ageneration. RE: DEPTFORD FIRE CON CROSS-FIRE & SECURITY CO.,INC. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Already serving a life sentence for two murders, including that of his pregnant 22-year-old girlfriend April Sheridan, Smithyman gave a chilling account during 40 taped interviews of how the fire started. After huge public pressure, the Metropolitan police wrote to the Attorney General in 2001, asking him to reopen the investigation. See full bio More at IMDbPro Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro Known For Cast Away Location Management (2000) Most Daring Producer (2007-2010) I Married a Murderer Producer (2017-2018) Coach Charming Producer (2015) Tony Birbeck is on Facebook. One week after the fire, on 25 January, a meeting was held at the Moonshot Club in New Cross, attended by more than one thousand people. I recently learnt that Paul ran into the house several times. As the clock ticked past midnight on 18 January 1981, a house party in New Cross, south-east London, was just getting started. Charles is evicting Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage 'so he can start after his Coronation with A royal princess at Eton? People have trouble now, unless they're rich, with retiring before . It was a kind of sweep of passion and people saying "we have had enough".". ER 2002-10, 2015, 2017-22 Director. He added: : The one thing that people cant seem to get into their heads is this: the fire started inside the party, not outside. This is all much to his annoyance because Smithymans confession has been in the public domain for years. Sir Steve McQueen praises resilient black people who protested against racism after the New Cross fire, I remember growing up and someone in my family always knew someone, who knew someone [who died in the fire], says Sir Steve McQueen, who co-directed Uprising with James Rogan. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); History Workshop is a digital magazine of radical history. Required fields are marked *. OF ANTHONY BIRBECK, TN/83/42/37 LATE. Find 10 people named Stephen Birbeck along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. 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