Event    From 18/1/1981  To 18/1/1981

New Cross Fire

Categories: Tragedy

A fire at a teenagers' birthday party caused the death of 14 young people, 13 at the fire. The 14th victim was Anthony Berbeck, who escaped the fire, but became mentally disturbed and died after falling from a balcony on 9th July 1983, a possible suicide. Originally the fire was thought to be a racist attack as all the victims were black. Two inquests reached open verdicts.

We are grateful to I Rise, our source for the thumbnail photos of each of the 14 dead.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
New Cross Fire

Commemorated ati

New Cross Fire - Fordham Park

In memory of the young people who died as a result of the New Cross fire 18th...

Read More

New Cross Fire - Hackney

These trees were planted in the memory of the 13 children who died in the New...

Read More

New Cross Fire - site of fire

New Cross Fire, took place at this site on January 18, 1981, Claiming the liv...

Read More

New Cross Fire - Town Hall

Unveiled by Sybil Phoenix, a community leader who had been called to the scen...

Read More

Other Subjects

Cyril Richard (Rick) Rescorla

Cyril Richard (Rick) Rescorla

United Kingdom citizen who died in the terrorist attacks in America on 11 September 2001. Colonel Cyril Richard Rescorla was born on 27 May 1939 in Halye, Cornwall. He was a son of Stephen Douglas...

Person, Armed Forces, Emergency Services, Tragedy, Africa, Cyprus, USA, Vietnam

1 memorial
Alice Yates

Alice Yates

Civilian killed in the crash of Hampden bomber P4399. Our colleague Andrew Behan has kindly researched this woman: Alice Yates was born on 25 September 1899, the daughter of Edward Thomas Yates an...

Person, Tragedy

War dead non-military, WW2
1 memorial
William Whiteley

William Whiteley

Entrepreneur and founder of Whiteley's department store on Queensway, now Whiteleys shopping centre. A bequest from his will formed Whiteley Village. Born in Yorkshire and, 1848, apprenticed to a ...

Person, Commerce, Tragedy

3 memorials
Lidice massacre

Lidice massacre

Lidice is a village in the Czech Republic just north-west of Prague. Following the assassination of Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich, a high-ranking Nazi, the search for the culprits failed, desp...

Event, Tragedy, Czechoslovakia

1 memorial
Jenny Norma Corteen

Jenny Norma Corteen

Non-British, killed by the Bali bomb.

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial