The Secret of Bethnal Green

Dear friends,

We hope that with the help of the “Training Centre Raya London,” you will be able to achieve your goals and use the English language with ease! We regularly provide you with fascinating texts that are equally interesting for you and for us, who prepare them. Today’s story is an account of one of the most disastrous tragedies for the civilian population of London during World War II.

The German Blitzkrieg is over, but the Allies are bombing Berlin, and retaliatory attacks on London are expected. The population is used to running to hiding places without much panic. Initially, it was forbidden to use the subway stations as shelters, but later they proved to be more convenient than brick shelters, and the population felt safe there.

Bethnal Green tube station, located in East London, was built relatively recently in 1939. Its approaches were quite narrow, but the plan to expand them was very slow. One evening, on the third of March, 1943, sirens started wailing, and people, half-dressed or straight from the table, rushed towards the subway station. When the sirens died down, silence followed, and some fortunate ones decided to stay home.

As the more timid people began to descend the staircase towards the subway tunnels, a sudden loud cannonade echoed. It was much louder than the noises they were accustomed to hearing from anti-aircraft fire. People believed that bombs were being dropped on them. A young mother fell with her baby from the top of the staircase. An elderly man stumbled into her, and then people started to run down in panic, like dominoes. The tragedy happened in an instant. 173 people were trampled and died, 62 of them were young children. Another 60 people were injured.

The rescue operation found the people who were still alive, rescued the wounded, and confirmed the deaths of many innocent people.

However, no bombs had actually fallen, although it was initially announced that the accident was caused by bombing.

What had actually happened? The cause of the tragedy remained a secret for another 43 years. On one hand, this was done to preserve the morale of the population during the war, and on the other, to prevent the information from becoming a reason for the enemy to experience sinister joy.

The truth finally came out—a more modern anti-aircraft weapon was tested in nearby Victoria Park, producing a very loud and unfamiliar noise to the ears of Londoners. Because of the unannounced test, people panicked and rushed downhill to their deaths. Many residents of the city, especially those from the neighborhood, lost their loved ones that night.

Long delayed, a memorial to the victims of one of the greatest civilian tragedies, both of the war and in the history of the London Underground, now stands in Bethnal Green. Over the years, Londoners have attended commemoration ceremonies in memory of those who died. These ceremonies have been attended by senior figures from the London government, as well as members of the committee responsible for building the memorial, which included relatives of the victims.

Author: Iveta Radeva