A WARRINGTON man will make a sad pilgrimage to the Isle of Man in August to pay tribute to the memory of 50 people who died in a disastrous fire 50 years ago.
Two young men from Warrington were among those who perished when the blaze swept through the five-storey Summerland leisure centre on the seafront at Douglas.
They were Alan Barker, aged 20, from Woolston and Sean Kelly, 21, from Fearnhead.
Now, 76-year-old Barry O’Neill is planning to travel to Douglas on August 2 – the 50th anniversary of the disaster – to visit the site and the memorial that was erected after the fire.
Mr O’Neill, of Ash Grove, Latchford has visited the site several times over the years and has kept in touch with a local woman, Tina Brennan, who organises an annual memorial service.
She is still in touch with relatives of Alan Barker and Sean Kelly who have visited the site on occasions.
Alan and Sean were working at Summerland at the time of the fire. It is believed Alan managed to get out of the building but went back in to try and rescue other people. He was due to take examinations to join the police on his return from the Isle of Man. He played football for the Church Street Labour Club team and was to have trials with Wigan Athletic.
In addition to the 50 deaths, 80 people were seriously injured in the crush that occurred as people tried to get out of the building.
Mr O’Neill said: “I want to make sure Warrington people don’t forget this tragedy. I realise there will be many who are too young to remember it, but I want to make sure local people know about it. Hopefully we can get some over there on August 2.”
After the disaster, there was a major public inquiry. Although no-one was blamed, the use of flammable building materials and delays in evacuation procedures were condemned.
The skeletal remains of the building were demolished in 1975 and it was then re-built on a smaller scale the following year. It re-opened in 1978.
In October 2002, torrential rain caused a landslide behind the building and it was decided the site could not be made safe. It closed in 2004 and in January 2006, demolition commenced. One wall remains intact as there are concerns that its removal could cause an adjacent cliff to collapse.
Forty years after the tragedy, a permanent memorial in the form of three granite columns was unveiled in nearby gardens. It bears the names of all those killed in the fire and is set into a circle of paving, alongside a stone laid earlier to mark the 25th anniversary.
2 Comments
Indeed it is a Sad thing what happened. I was there a few months before it happened. I was shocked beyond belief when I saw it burning on TV. It’s a great and poignant thing you are doing. Stay Safe Sir.
I was o ly 5 at the time I remember it vividly the crush and the doors that were locked. I was lucky to get out with my par6 my dad was a fire warden where he worked no fire extinguisher was available I still remember the horrors not been back since .Thinking of this year x