Seventy years ago this weekend, 173 people died and 90 were injured on the staircase of Bethnal Green Tube station in the worst civilian disaster of the Second World War. Yet no bombs were dropped on East London that night.
As the air raid sirens rang out across London on March 3 1943, hundreds of people headed underground to safety at Bethnal Green where the tube station was under construction. Plagued by bombing raids, Eastenders were no strangers to taking shelter, even in the pitch dark of a blackout. Working their way down the temporary steps that night, however, a lady carrying a child fell. The crowd pressed on into the darkness not knowing about the accident in the stairwell below. The resulting crush led to the deaths of 173 people, including 62 children, and injuries to 90 more.
Kingston University graduate Harry Paticas, whose practice Arboreal Architecture is based just around the corner from the station, was unaware of the disaster until a plaque caught his eye one morning on his way to work. "Where it was placed was just the sort of spot that people would rush past on their daily commute," Mr Paticas said. "I was determined to find out more about the disaster and I couldn't understand why such a great loss of life warranted only a small plaque. I felt sure there was a way to use my skills as an architect to help create a fitting tribute for these people and their families."
After six years' fundraising, designing, planning and negotiation, phase one has now been completed. It includes a white concrete plinth set in a landscaped area of granite slabs. As well as listing all the names of those who died, bronze plaques placed along the memorial feature testimonials from survivors, emergency services personnel and relatives of the victims. A reclaimed teak bench overlooking the area offers passers-by and family members a place for reflection, while a small light set in the ground matches the 25 watt light bulb that served the stairwell that fateful night. Funds for a stairwell-shaped canopy, also to be made of reclaimed teak, are still to be raised. Mr Paticas hopes the memorial can be completed later this year - 70 years on from the disaster.
Mr Paticas had his model of the memorial accepted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2012. "I wonder how many thousands have passed through the station and never known anything about this tragedy. This project has been a labour of love but I hope, once the memorial is complete, people will take the time to visit and learn more about this historic event."
Saturday 2 March 2013
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/courtsocial/article3703400.ece
http://www.kingston.ac.uk/news/article/827/01-mar-2013-architecture-graduates-bethnal-green-memorial-marks-wwiis-worst-civilian-tragedy/
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