Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire
Martin Fletcher
Apr 2015 · Bloomsbury Publishing
5.0star
4 reviewsreport
Ebook
272
Pages
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About this ebook
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
'Read his book and weep' - The Times
'Incredibly moving and brilliantly understated... lays bare the culture of institutionalised neglect that all English football-goers in the 80s came to expect, which by the end of the decade would claim more than 150 lives' - Mirror
On May 11 1985, fifty-six people died in a devastating fire at Bradford City's old Valley Parade ground. It was truly horrific, a startling story – and wholly avoidable – but it had only the briefest of inquiries, and it seemed its lessons were not learned.
Twelve-year-old Martin Fletcher was at Valley Parade that day, celebrating Bradford's promotion to the second flight, with his dad, brother, uncle and grandfather. Martin was the only one of them to survive the fire – the biggest loss suffered by a single family in any British football disaster.
In later years, Martin devoted himself to extensively investigating how the disaster was caused, its culture of institutional neglect and the government's general indifference towards football fans' safety at the time. This book tells the gripping, extraordinary in-depth story of a boy's unthinkable loss following a spring afternoon at a football match, of how fifty-six people could die at a game, and of the truths he unearthed as an adult.
This is the story – thirty years on – of the disaster football has never properly acknowledged.
'Read his book and weep' - The Times
'Incredibly moving and brilliantly understated... lays bare the culture of institutionalised neglect that all English football-goers in the 80s came to expect, which by the end of the decade would claim more than 150 lives' - Mirror
On May 11 1985, fifty-six people died in a devastating fire at Bradford City's old Valley Parade ground. It was truly horrific, a startling story – and wholly avoidable – but it had only the briefest of inquiries, and it seemed its lessons were not learned.
Twelve-year-old Martin Fletcher was at Valley Parade that day, celebrating Bradford's promotion to the second flight, with his dad, brother, uncle and grandfather. Martin was the only one of them to survive the fire – the biggest loss suffered by a single family in any British football disaster.
In later years, Martin devoted himself to extensively investigating how the disaster was caused, its culture of institutional neglect and the government's general indifference towards football fans' safety at the time. This book tells the gripping, extraordinary in-depth story of a boy's unthinkable loss following a spring afternoon at a football match, of how fifty-six people could die at a game, and of the truths he unearthed as an adult.
This is the story – thirty years on – of the disaster football has never properly acknowledged.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
4 reviews
M M
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August 9, 2024
Didnt enjoy first 3 1/2 chapters on football, fixtures & scores, but found the story emotional. Love & loss are what we all have in common, but the way each of us grieve so very different This should never have happened, and should never be repeated. For all those taken too soon, those who will never laugh or cry again with the ones who loved them; the "moment" is now . The laughter & love will always be for the "moment', tears & sadness for those we love & lose last a lifetime. Its the price we pay for ones we love. RIP 56, for those left behind I hope your souls can find peace.
Julian Gratton
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April 17, 2015
Like many Bradfordians I've long believed the myths surrounding the fire. That it was an unfortunate accident, that the enquiry was thorough and detailed and unlike Hillsborough, there was no need for further investigation. The book is essentially two parts of one story. There's Martins youth and his exposure to Bradford City as a child and his experience at the match on that fateful day that led to him losing four members of his family. This is followed by what happened to him after the fire in the immediate weeks and years... all of which is utterly heartbreaking. The second half of the book is then Martin's own investigation - his journey of discovery as he sheds new light on what was essentially a very poor and rushed inquiry. What he has uncovered really does raise some serious questions, it's far from speculations and conspiracy theories... it's well researched and quite frankly saddening that the disaster was essentially swept under the carpet by certain people in power. I can not recommend this book highly enough and hopefully it will lead to some serious questions being asked of the people in charge at the time.
Gary Ball
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April 29, 2015
I remember the fire as if it was yesterday. Martin Fletcher will make you cry and inspire you. This is a story that needed to be told.
About the author
Martin Fletcher was 12 years old when he survived the Bradford fire in which his father, brother, uncle and grandfather were all killed. As an adult he has devoted himself to investigating and seeking the truth about the disaster, and this book is the culmination of his extensive research. During that time he has also obtained a BA in Politics with International Studies and MA in International Political Economy from the University of Warwick, together with both the LPC and ACA. He lives in London.
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