It was kept secret so as not to lessen war morale
People panicked and rushed down into Bethnal Green underground station as they heard an air-raid warning and gunfire(Image: MyLondon)
A London Underground station was the scene of a terrifying crush during the Second World War, but it was kept a secret until the war ended. A total of 173 people died in the crush, the largest loss of civilian life during the Second World War.
It happened at Bethnal Green Underground station, which, like many others, was used as an air raid shelter when The Nazis tried to raise Britain to the ground during The Blitz. On the night of March 3, 1943, not a single bomb fell.
The problem was that new anti-aircraft rockets being used to protect Londoners made the same sound as bombs, so when they went off, everyone rushed to their nearest air raid shelter. As terrified East Londoners ran down as they sought safety, a woman and a young child slipped.
173 people lost their lives in the Bethnal Green disaster(Image: Philip Coburn)
An elderly man tripped over them, falling on top. People at the front tried to avoid trampling on them, but those at back had no clue and surged forward.
Safety seekers sadly piled up one another, causing a crush. The line was only halted when the screams started ringing out, and Air Raid Wardens went to survey the scene. It led to the deaths of 27 men, 84 women, and 62 children. Around 90 more were injured.
To ensure not to spread panic, the public was told that the station had been hit by a bomb. When wartime leader PM Winston Churchill saw the report, he decided the news should not be reported until the end of the war, as he worried it could lead to a repeat event.
One of the doctors who led the team treating the injured spoke to the BBC in 2016. Joan Martin said: “We received a phone call telling us to expect 30 faints from a Tube shelter. 30 faints! Quickly, we began taking down children’s cots and putting up beds. I told the medical students I was working with that it must just be a test to see how quickly we could do it. That it was all an exercise.
“We had hardly finished changing the beds before the first wet, mauve, body was carried into the hospital. Wet, because apparently when they pulled the bodies from the shelter all they did was to dump them on the pavement and throw water on them. Mauve, because they were all asphyxiated.
“They continued to arrive until 11pm that night. At least 30 bodies, mostly women and children. Almost all dead.” She added: “I’ve had nightmares ever since. And always in my nightmares people are trampled to death.”
Outside the station you now see the Stairway to Heaven memorial in honour of those who died. It was unveiled in 2017.
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