Burden Park Football Stadium disaster, Bolton (9th March 1946)

Here I am on a retail park in Bolton. If it weren’t for a row of enlarged photos on the inside wall in ASDA you wouldn’t know a disaster happened here. Burnden Park football stadium - home to Bolton Wanderers - once stood here and on 9th March 1946 hundreds of people were injured and 33 were crushed to death.

That fateful Saturday there was a match between Bolton and Stoke City and a crowd of about 85,000 people looked on. As the game ensued the turnstiles were closed as the stadium had become packed. People weren’t deterred and they climbed in from the adjoining railway. The volume of people increased quickly and pressure pushed many fans to the side of the pitch. The game was temporarily stopped while the pitch was cleared. Out of sight of the referee two barriers collapsed and the crowd fell forward crushing those underneath. Some dead and injured were taken away but some corpses lay along the touchline with coats over them. Unbelievably a new line was made using sawdust and the game restarted (Stanley Matthews who was playing for Stoke later said he was sickened by it.) A police officer saw was happening and went onto the pitch to tell the referee. The match was called off.

I parked up in ASDA car park and tried to work out where the pitch was (the stadium closed in 1997.) In the photos you can see me on Manchester Road but the disaster happened at the other side of the stadium. At the time the terraces were rudimentary; the Second World War had recently ended and part of the stands which had been requisitioned by the Ministry of Supply had yet to be returned. I worked out that pitch was where the row of stores sit now and behind them was the part of the stadium where the crush happened.

I went in ASDA but didn't buy anything. I was looking for the memorial plaque and hadn't seen one on the outside walls. I found it by at the checkouts with a row of photos showing the stadium in better days. I had a coffee and slice of fruit cake in the car, did a salute and left.

In Asda...