Remembering The Burnden Disaster Sixty Years On

By Mark Heys
March 9 2006

On 9th March 1946 Burnden Park witnessed its darkest hour as thirty three people where killed and many others seriously injured during Bolton's FA Cup tie with Stoke City.

Today many Boltonians gathered at the site of the old stadium to remember those who lost their lives, those present included current Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce and club president Nat Lofthouse, who was Bolton's centre forward on that fateful afternoon.

It is the second ceremony held this week following on from last Sunday's tribute at the Reebok Stadium which was conducted by the Reverand Phil Mason. Names of all the fatalities where read out by Mr Mason in a special memorium service in the Hall of Fame suite.

Overcrowding and a collapsed wall in the stadium was the reason for the disaster according to the Home Office report but needless to say that this date will go down in football history in a similar way to the tragedies of Ibrox, Valley Parade and Hillsbrough even though sometimes it is an occasion often overlooked by those outside the town.

Lest we forget.