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Hillsborough in 1989, Burnden Park in 1948 and Valley Parade in 1985. These are just three memorable stadium disasters that tragically killed dozens of spectators at a football match. Here, we look into a less known disaster that involved the Wigan Rugby club and the events of the Challenge Cup semi final at Rochdale on April 1, 1939.
The game was between Jim Sullivan's Wigan and Gus Risman's Salford for a place in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley. It was due to be played at Rochdale's Athletic Grounds with a replay pencilled in for Station Road, Swinton, if the game ended in a tie. Salford were the current Cup holders and league leaders, and led by former Wigan great Lance Todd. Wigan were going into the match as underdogs, despite beating Salford to the Lancashire Cup a few months earlier, Lance Todd's men were strong favourites.
Despite being classed as underdogs, enthusiasm for the match amongst Wigan supporters was high. The previous record attendance seen at the Athletic Grounds was for the 1924 Challenge Cup final between Wigan and Oldham, where 41,831 supporters had crammed in to see Wigan clinch their maiden Cup. Records were due to be broken.
In the other Semi Final, Halifax were drawn to face Leeds at the relatively new and unfinished Odsall Stadium, Bradford. Slap bang in the middle of both clubs, Bradford's record attendance of 31,317 was sure to be broken quite easily. It was reported that Odsall had 51 entrances and could accomodate 1,000 vehicles inside the ground itself... but we are here for Rochdale.
On the day, all roads into Rochdale were choked. You couldn't park anywhere close to the Athletic Grounds with almost all roads leading from Salford and Wigan acting as car parks. The conditions were far from ideal. Half an hour before the match was due to start, the Spion Kop embankment was already packed to the brim with thousands still piling into the ground. At that moment, there was a great rush and fencing was broken down which meant that thousands of spectators, estimated to be 5,000 or so, got into the ground for free. The police officer had no chance of keeping order.
Latecomers outside of the Athletic Grounds grew impatient and forced the barriers open, causing a surge. Some eye-witnesses stated that the trouble started as a result of the actions of gangs of youths. They began to tear down the fencing and caused numerous gaps. Some grabbed handfuls of silver from the turnstiles, with some being caught and forced to hand this back. A top estimate of 50,000 spectators were in attendance with the police urging the gate keepers to stop taking money and to go to the bank straight away for safety.
Such was this surge of people, the ground was swamped before kick off and it was hard even to make sure spectators didn't encroach onto the pitch. The thoughts by officials to abandon the match were put to be bed early. At three o'clock, the Spion Kop was full with thousands more spectators trying to find a perch on that large embankment. Just before half past three, Mr. Adams of Hull, the referee, was inclined to walk around the pitch and asked people to move further back as to not interfere with that afternoon's play.
At this moment, it was noticed that quite a large number of spectators had made their way somehow onto the roof of the main stand on the "popular" side.
Gus Risman won the coin toss and decided to play against the wind.
Four minutes later, tragedy struck. The sound of creaking timber and crashing was heard as the players stopped play. Thousands witnessed some quite dramatic scenes.
Spectators who had clambered onto the roof were seen falling down onto those below as the roof of the stand collapsed. It was estimated that at least twenty men had fallen off the roof. Officials, players and spectators rushed across the field to the scene.
There was an immediate call for doctors, ambulance men and police. Quickly, it was seen that seventeen spectators were found to be injured. Amongst the medical assistance was Dr. W. Hoey, the hon. surgeon to the Wigan Rugby League Club who was at the match of course. The most seriously injured were helped on to the playing field and laid down, whilst players helped the walking wounded and other spectators to a safer area.
Three ambulances from the Rochdale Fire Brigade were summoned with many of the injured suffering from shock, minor bruises and cuts. One of the spectators who was stood under the stand when it collapsed told the Manchester Evening News that it sounded like an explosion.
"As I looked up I saw a number of bodies hurtling through the big hole in the roof," he said. "Others slid down and made a leap for safety. Some of those on the roof fell on to the spectators in the stand and there was many of these injured."
The Mayor of Salford, Councillor J.T. Harrison, who was on the stand immediately opposite, said "We saw the roof sway and collapse. It was a ghastly sight. There must have been about 100 people on the roof, and we could see them rolling off."
One of the Salford players, Billy Watkins, was told by a spectator that his father, whom was in that part of the stand, was amongst one of those trapped under the timber, but this was soon to be an unfounded truth. Luckily for Watkins.
There was a conference of players and officials, including the chairman of the Rugby League Council, Mr. G.F. Hutchins of Oldham, to decide whether to carry on with the game or not. Eight minutes later, play resumed! Unfortunately, the game didn't go Wigan's way, losing 11-2 with Gus Risman scoring all of Salford's points.
After the game had ended, it was soon to be revealed that there were two deaths from the stand collapse. Mr. Joseph Howles, aged 41, a cotton doubler from Rochdale, and Annie West, aged 51, a 'rugby expert' from Monton, lost their lives.
Portions of timber taken from the stand collapse were used as evidence at the Inquest. A police inspector showed that some of this timber showed decay. The head building inspector for Rochdale Corporation said that portions of the timber were unsatisfactory. The Coroner, Mr. Stanley Turner, said that there was no criminal liability on anybody's part.
Mr. Howles was a family man by all accounts and only really watched the rugby on big occasions. He left behind seven daughters aged between 16 and 5. His eldest, Marian, said of the incident, "It is horrible to think he just went out for a few hours of pleasure and was killed. I don't know what we shall do. Rose (second eldest daughter) and I are winders but dad was really our breadwinner. We are going to try and keep our home together on what we earn."
Imagine working your life and looking forward to a big rugby match at the weekend, to have a break from the grind and not returning home. The family's breadwinner suddenly gone.
Mrs West had suffered severe head injuries during the stand collapse. A few days later, an inquest was held into the tragedy by the Rochdale County Coroner. Letters were sent into the local Press criticising the venue and the role the Rugby League authorities played. Many expressed their concerns that money was a driving factor in playing the match at Rochdale - the bigger the gate, the more money taken. Some suggested that Swinton would have made a safer venue.
A suggestion that after the Rugby League Cup final, Wigan, or a team representative of the Rest of England, should play Salford in a match to aid the victims of disaster, was put forward by Harry Sunderland, the secretary-manager of Wigan. He also suggested that the thousands of spectators who got into the ground without payment, should send conscience money to a fund in aid of the widow and the children rendered fatherless.
The other semi final saw a record crowd of 66,308 at Odsal. A record crowd for a Rugby League match. But this long forgotten tragedy is I suppose now noted and remembered for the loss of Annie West and Joseph Howles who went to a rugby match but never came home.
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