30th anniversary of Hillsborough - personal memories

I was in a car park in Kings Lynn, listening to the radio for news of Norwich in the other semi final that day when the news came over about the unfolding disaster at Hillsborough.

Terrible as it was I found myself breaking out in a sweat, shaking and unable to move as it triggered a flashback of a suppressed memory. 20 years earlier, on 8th March 1969 10 year old me was one of 23500 people crammed into Field Mill for an FA Cup quarterfinal match against Leicester City. Anyone whose been tonField Mill will understand what a feat that was!

I was separated from my Dad as the crowd became more crammed in, but as a nipper was pushed to the front and against the perimeter wall - to me it was almost chest high concrete slabs, thankfully no caging. I recalled the sensation of feeling more and more crushed as the crowd pushed forward and then the wall gave way, falling flat with lots of people falling over and spilling onto the pitch. People trampling over me and the tangle of bodies. I vaguely remember seeing St. John’s Ambulance and Police picking people up and out of the crowd. I’d remembered the cup run (beat West Ham 3-0 in a much postponed fifth round match), the game itself and seeing highlights on TV in the evening but it was the first time the memory of the wall crush and breach had come back, and so vividly.

I was lucky, and I think beyond a couple of broken bones no one was hurt. The crowd were cleared off the pitch but it was impossible to cram everyone back into the stands and there were lots of people standing round the perimeter when the match kicked off.

I’ll certainly be stopping what I do and joining in with the minutes silence at 3.06 today (User Posted Link to remember the victims of the disaster at Hillsborough and trying not to think too hard at what they must have gone through.

Posted By: Tressells Broadbrush, Apr 15, 06:53:27