A fire killed eight young girls at the Garrick Theatre, Hereford, England, in 1916.
Theatre[]
The theatre was built in 1882 and renamed in 1909 after David Garrick, the actor and theatrical manager, who was born in Hereford in 1717.[1]
Concert[]
In 1916, during World War I, a fund-raising concert was held "for the benefit of the Herefords and Shropshires"[2] (two local county regiments, the former actually being part of The Worcestershire Regiment; the latter the King's Shropshire Light Infantry) at the Garrick Theatre, Hereford.[3] One of the turns was provided by more than forty local school-children,[2] wearing snow maiden and Eskimo costumes made in part from cotton wool,[3][4] even though its use was prohibited in theatres, due to the risk of fire.[2]
As a group of 13 children were leaving the stage, one of their costumes caught fire: within moments, all 13 were alight.[2]
By the end of the night, despite rescue efforts by members of the cast and audience,[2] six children had died.[3] Two more died subsequently from their burns.[3]
Funerals[]
A joint funeral for five of the victims was held at Hereford Cathedral.[2][4] The public stood "ten deep" in parts of nearby Broad Street as the funeral corteges passed. Soldiers served as pall-bearers.[2] The girls were buried at Hereford Crematorium,[3] but the precise location of their graves is lost.
Inquest[]
The subsequent inquest heard conflicting claims. Faith Mailes, the concert organiser, whose daughter died, said that she had seen a smoker, backstage, discard a match.[2] Theatre staff and others present denied that anyone had been smoking.[2] Verdicts of accidental death were returned.[2]
Legacy[]
At a meeting held in Hereford town hall in September 1916, it was decided to raise £500 with which to endow a memorial cot on the Children's Ward of Herefordshire General Hospital (since demolished).[2] That target was exceeded, and the cot was unveiled there, together with a memorial plaque, in April 1917.[2][5]
The theatre was rebuilt later in 1916, but subsequently demolished.[3] Another plaque, mentioning the fire, marks its former location, on Widemarsh Street.[3][4] As of 2014[update], local residents are campaigning for a "lasting memorial" near the site.[3]
References[]
- ↑ Text on plaque; see photo
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Chester, Jerry (24 February 2014). "World War One: Hereford theatre fire killed eight at fundraiser". BBC Online. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-25154112. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "Memorial call for WW1 Hereford theatre deaths". BBC Online. 2014-02-26. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-26354428. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "World War One At Home, Garrick House, Hereford: Tragic End to a Fundraiser". BBC Online. 27 January 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01qmn7v. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ↑ Renton, Charles (1999). The Story of Herefordshire's Hospitals. Logaston Press. pp. 61–62. ISBN 1873827210. http://books.google.co.il/books?id=d3ogAQAAIAAJ&q=garrick+theatre+fire+hereford&dq=garrick+theatre+fire+hereford&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GvcYU4HCDerG7Aab44GICQ&ved=0CFEQ6AEwBg.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Garrick Theatre fire and the edit history here.
Coordinates: 52°3.5340′N 2°42.9744′W / 52.0589°N 2.71624°W