In 1916, at the Garrick Theatre in Hereford, England, eight child performers were killed by a fire during a fund-raising concert. One of the group's costumes caught light when they were leaving the stage.
In 1916, at the Garrick Theatre in Hereford, England, eight child performers were killed by a fire during a fund-raising concert. One of the group's costumes caught light when they were leaving the stage.
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]
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 being the Herefordshire 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]
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]
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 Cemetery, [3] but the precise location of their graves is lost.
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]
Local residents campaigned for a "lasting memorial" near the site. [3] [6] This campaign inspired Hereford Cathedral and architect Robert Kilgour to commission a memorial plaque, cast in lead. The commission was accepted by Carey Lead Ltd. and installation was carried out on 15 March 2018. The plaque is on permanent display below the SAS memorial window in the cathedral's Lady Arbour Cloister. [7]
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately 16 miles (26 km) east of the border with Wales, 23 miles (37 km) north-west of Gloucester and 24 miles (39 km) south-west of Worcester. With a population of 53,112 in 2021, it is the largest settlement in Herefordshire.
Ludlow is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is located 28 miles (45 km) south of Shrewsbury and 23 miles (37 km) north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the confluence of the rivers Corve and Teme.
Hereford and Worcester was an English non-metropolitan county created on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 from the areas of the former administrative county of Herefordshire, most of Worcestershire and the county borough of Worcester. An aim of the Act was to increase efficiency of local government: the two counties are among England's smaller and less populous counties, particularly after the same Act transferred some of Worcestershire's most urbanised areas to the West Midlands.
Ledbury is a market town and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills.
Ross-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 10,978 in 2021. It lies in south-east of the county, on the River Wye and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.
Herefordshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement and the county town.
BBC Hereford & Worcester is the BBC's local radio station serving the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, which were one county from 1974 to 1998.
Allan Leonard Lewis VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
The history of Herefordshire starts with a shire in the time of King Athelstan, and Herefordshire is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1051. The first Anglo-Saxon settlers, the 7th-century Magonsætan, were a sub-tribal unit of the Hwicce who occupied the Severn valley. The Magonsætan were said to be in the intervening lands between the Rivers Wye and Severn. The undulating hills of marl clay were surrounded by the Welsh mountains to the west; by the Malvern Hills to the east; by the Clent Hills of the Shropshire borders to the north, and by the indeterminate extent of the Forest of Dean to the south. The shire name first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle may derive from "Here-ford", Old English for "army crossing", the location for the city of Hereford.
The Archdiocese of Cardiff is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church which covers the south-east portion of Wales and the county of Herefordshire in England. The Metropolitan Province of Cardiff therefore covers all of Wales and part of England. Cardiff's suffragan dioceses are the Diocese of Menevia and the Diocese of Wrexham.
Allan Gairdner Wyon FRBS RMS was a British die-engraver and sculptor and, in later life, vicar in Newlyn, Cornwall.
Hereford Cathedral School is a private, co-educational boarding and day school for pupils of ages 3 to 18 years, from nursery to sixth form. Its headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school's premises are next to Hereford Cathedral in Hereford.
Herefordshire Council is the local authority for the county of Herefordshire in England. It is a unitary authority, combining the powers of a district and county council.
John Bury OBE was a British set, costume and lighting designer who worked for theatres in London, the rest of the UK, and Broadway and international opera.
Hugh Foliot was a medieval Bishop of Hereford. Related somehow to his predecessor at Hereford, he served as a priest and papal judge as well as being an unsuccessful candidate as Bishop of St David's in Wales. In 1219, he was appointed Bishop of Hereford. During his time in office, he mostly attended to ecclesiastical duties, but did occasionally serve as a royal administrator. He helped found a hospital and a priory, and died in 1234 after a months-long illness.
Walenty Pytel is a Polish-born contemporary artist based in the United Kingdom, recognised as a leading metal sculptor of birds and beasts.
The Hereford Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery located in the cathedral city of Hereford, Herefordshire, England.
Richard's Castle is a village, castle and two civil parishes on the border of the counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire in England. The Herefordshire part of the parish had a population of 250 at the 2011 Census, the Shropshire part, 424.
Hereford Cemetery and Crematorium is the municipal burial ground and crematorium for the city of Hereford, England, and its surrounding area. It is located on the south side of Westfaling Street west of the city centre.
Florence Mary Canning was a British suffragette and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Church League for Women's Suffrage.