The Bethnal Green Tube Disaster Memorial
On 3 March 1943 an air raid siren went off in Bethnal Green and locals made their way to the tube, seeking shelter underground.
What followed was the worst civilian disaster during the Second World War, a story that has only recently been properly commemorated in the Memorial sculpture outside Bethnal Green Tube Station.
The unfinished Bethnal Green tube station had been used as a deep level shelter throughout the majority of bombing during 1940-41. It had a capacity of up to 10,000 people, usually sheltering around 7,000.
By 1943 air raids were less frequent and most people would stay at home. But the noises heard on the night of the 3rd March were different.
The Bethnal Green Tube Disaster
It was 8.17pm when the air raid sirens went off. People started filing into the shelter in an orderly manner, making their way underground to a space that had been in regular use as a deep shelter since 1940.
In the 10 minutes following the sirens going off nearby pubs and cinemas emptied. There was around 2,000 people in the shelter.
At approximately 8.30pm the searchlight went on and new anti-aircraft rocket battery sounds rang out from Victoria Park. People, wrongly assuming this meant bombs would fall imminently, started to panic.
While the alarms were ringing three London buses stopped, their passengers alighting at the Bethnal Green shelter. The crowd hurried down the concrete steps to the station shelter.
Slippy and poorly-lit, the 10 foot wide staircase would be treacherous at the best of times, but without a central handrail a woman with a child fell three steps from the bottom, causing others behind her to trip.
Not realising what had happened, crowds continued to push downstairs and before long around 300 people were trapped in a tangled mess at the bottom of 19 steps.
The entrance to Bethnal Green station today, thankfully with a central safety handrail.
Rescuers working above and below ground worked to restore calm and pull people out of the scrum but many people were suffocated in the crush.
It was only at 11.40pm the last casualty was pulled out. In total 173 had died – 27 men, 84 women and 62 children. 62 further people were hospitalised and 50 more were walking wounded, not to mention the psychological trauma suffered by bystanders.
The Stairway to Heaven Memorial
It was the worst civilian casualty of the Second World War. But fears that the news would damage morale, the event was hushed up. Only 50 years later did a plaque appear by Bethnal Green Tube Station.
The final, finished memorial was unveiled in December 2017. Named the Stairway to heaven it is covered with names of the 173 victims of the disaster.
As well as the memorial, the Bethnal Green Memorial Project have created a memoryscape audio trail featuring witnesses to the disaster.
Among the voices is Dr Joan Martin, 100 years old at the time of the audio recording, who was a doctor at Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children.
She describes hearing that the hospital would receive 30 patients who had ‘fainted’ in an air raid shelter. When they arrived all her team were surprised that they showed no injuries and were all unconscious.
‘The colour is a colour I shall never forget’
It was only when a 9 year old boy came to the hospital that evening, describing what had happened that they understood the patients had all died from suffocation, wet and lilac in colour but otherwise appearing unharmed.
Joan said all the staff were sworn to secrecy, the authorities not wanting any negative stories to reach the wider public.
You can listen via soundcloud here and read more personal stories from stairwaytoheavenmemorial.org
Visit The Bethnal Green Tube Disaster Memorial
The Memorial is right by the one of the exits of Bethnal Green tube station, sign posted within the station. It stands on the edge of Bethnal Green Garden park.
Patricia Lillian Taylor
Just signed up and so enjoy your Wednesday postings – thank you.
Katie Wignall
You’re welcome Patricia 🙂
Adrian Butters
Katie, thank you for news letter, even though this one somewhat sad. Please keep me on your mailing list for this most interesting look at London
Yours truly
Mr Adrian Butters
Katie Wignall
Thanks Adrian! Most kind of you to say 🙂
Angela Shaw
Katie, this is very interesting, but I don’t understand in what sense this was the worst civilian disaster of the war. 25000+ civilians died in London during the Blitz, and 400 died in one incident on the first day of bombing alone.
Katie Wignall
Good point Angela, it could be that it’s the worst but not including bombings? I think the fact that it was an accident not actually connected to any enemy attack.
Shirley Shaw
It was good to discover the memoral I sat next to at school one of the children who dies, a girl. It was hushed up and no one spoke about it, are you able to email me a list of names, I don’t even know if her mother was a victim too,
It would be much appreciated Thank you,Shirley
Katie Wignall
Sorry to hear that Shirley, but I’m glad you were able to learn more about the memorial from your post. The Imperial War Museum has a list of names that you can see here; https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/70373
All the best,
Katie