On Saturday 2nd March I attended the unveiling of the refurbished tribute to mark the 43rd anniversary of the Black People’s Day of Action which took place on 2nd March 1981, in which thousands of black people marched in protest at the lack of justice for the 14.
They were remembering and commemorate the 14 young people who died in the New Cross Fire on January 18th 1981.
The event was organised by Gary Collins the brother of Steve Collins one of the victims of the fire. Speeches were made by the mayor of Hackney, Gus John, the ex-director of Education and Gary Collins. The names of the 14 were read out. 14 trees were planted by Steve Collins’s father Dave Collins aka Sir Collins on Tribute Avenue in the park in 1997 to remember the young people who tragically lost their lives. It was an emotional day, with attended by a group of about 90 people, many who remembered the fateful day. The event was featured on national television.
Oveta McInnis
Chair of ECA
The New Cross House Fire
The New Cross house fire was a fire that occurred during a party at a house in New Cross, south-east London, in the early hours of Sunday, 18 January 1981. The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22, and one survivor killed himself two years later
No one has ever been charged in connection with the fire. Inquests into the deaths were held in 1981 and 2004. Both inquests recorded open verdicts.
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, a New Cross Massacre Action Committee (NCMAC) was set up, chaired by John La Rose, which organised a "Black People's Day of Action" on 2 March 1981, when some 20,000 people marched over a period of eight hours through London, carrying placards that bore statements including: "13 Dead, Nothing Said".
The victims
The victims of the fire were all young Black, British people between the ages of 14 and 22. They were:
Andrew Gooding, age 14
Rosaline Henry, age 16
Patrick Cummings, age 16
Patricia Johnson, age 15
Owen Thompson, age 16
Lloyd Hall, age 20
Humphrey Brown, age 18
Steve Collins, age 17
Gerry Francis, age 17
Peter Campbell, age 18
Glenton Powell, age 16 (died in hospital)
Yvonne Ruddock, age 16 (died in hospital)
Paul Ruddock, age 22 (died in hospital)
