65th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BETHNAL GREEN TUBE SHELTER DISASTER

That this House marks and commemorates the 65th anniversary of the Bethnal Green tube shelter disaster; celebrates the 173 lives, including 62 children, that were tragically lost on 3rd March 1943 when a panicked crowd surged into the air raid shelter in the station trapping people on the stairs and causing a fatal crush; recognises and applauds the efforts and bravery of the Civil Defence Force, emergency services and local community in recovering and treating the wounded and retrieving the dead in what was the worst civilian accident of the war accounting for a third of Bethnal Green war-time civilian fatalities; and acknowledges and commends the campaign by the Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust, notably those involved with the memorial service at St. John on Bethnal Green, in establishing a fitting memorial to commemorate the tragedy and a lasting tribute.