What were you doing 20 years ago today 15/04

[carol green 10]

i was sat in our living room on leppings lane when it happend. wasnt a nice day to remember, RIP 96 xx

[sheff21 10]

Well me and my friend who supported Liverpool, met his brother that day as his brother was going to the game so we sampled a couple of beers before he went to the game. Afterwards we were stood on the bridge on Leppings Lane watching the panic outside the turnstyles and then thats when the gates opened at the back of the stand. We nearly with the rush got taken towards the gate for all the fans trying to get in made a rush for it. Thankfully but we did not know it at that time did not get into the ground. My mates brother who also supported Liverpool was in the ground but in a different stand, but as you can imagine when news started to filter outside what was happening he was very worried as there were no mobile phones well not many anyway.

 

So we walked around the ground to see what was happening, we could see into the Leppings Lane end and could see people climbing over the fencing and and being pulled into the upper tier of the stand, the strange thing was how silent it was from the rest of the ground apart from shouting and screaming coming from the Leppings Lane terrace.

 

Was an awful day, and when we started to hear from people coming out of the ground that there are people dead in there the realisation of what was happening started to hit us, and after about an hour we started to walk back towards Sheffield City centre, along with thousands of others, with a huge queue of ambulances on penistone road, I have never seen so many and hope I never see so many ever again. The walk to City centre was so quiet, and did not know the horror of it until I rang my parents and after the relief after hearing my voice as they knew I went to the ground, they unfolded what was happening and the fact there was many dead on the awful warm spring day.

 

A day I will never forget for the wrong reasons.

[DIVA 10]

I first learned of the tragedy as it started to unfold on TV. I was at my nans (RIP). I went home and put BBC Radio Sheffield on. They were trying to get reports and a police officer rang in and said that the fans had pushed the gate down and then serged and caused crushing in the stadium. It seemed to be as soon as this call had finished that a steward (if I remember correctly) came on and said it was not the fans that had pushed the gate down but a police officer who had given the order for the gate to be opened in spite of strong advice and a warning to the possible consequences. Does anyone else remember the BBC Radio Sheffield coverage that day?

 

I felt quite helpless. I wanted to do something but didn't know what to do. We were getting phone calls from around the world that day, as we are avid footie fans, and people were checking we were ok but I remember keeping calls as brief as possible as we had been informed that the exchange couldn't cope with all the calls.

 

We listed to Hallam FM in the evening. I remember just sitting in my car, crying buckets. What a sad, sad, day. And how the fans have been treated since is a disgrace.

 

I didn't realise until I saw the ambulance driver on TV last night that his was the only ambulance that the police let through and he said they lied about the reasons for not letting other ambulances in, that were wanting to get in and could have saved lives. I know it was chaos that day and there were lots of heroes but it's time the fans had justice.

 

JUSTICE FOR THE 96!

 

Watch LFC TV Live coverage of memorial on VM Channel 544 free all day. I've just seen the Secretary of State for Sport get a bit of an undressing!

Edited April 15, 2009 by DIVA

[teeny 10]

I was 24 ! I was a nanny for a family of 2 children, they were on holiday. I was at home in the Isle of wight with my family as it was my great grandmothers 100th birthday which was so special , I had never thought she would live that long , My great Auntie kate was 99 on the same day!

[Diddles 10]

I worked in the catering dept at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and was about to go off shift when we were asked if anyone could work over as there had been a major incident at Hillsborough. Quite a few of us stayed, and relayed drinks and sandwiches to Accident & Emergency, for both staff and unfortunate patients and their relatives. I'll never forget taking a tray of sarnies down to A & E and seeing all the mattresses laid out on the floors, corridors etc. Also I can remember that a lot of the hospital staff came in on their days off to volunteer their services

[Robbiet 10]

We were having our house painted.The painters stopped work to ask if something had happened because all you could hear was the sound of sirens from the police and ambulances on Herries Road heading for the hospital.It was only later we heard the terrible news.

[Chris M 10]

I was at the game on the Kop with the Forest fans - I remember looking at the Liverpool end at kick off and wondering why it was not full - all the Forest fans were in the ground at 3.00 with only a few late comers still outside.

 

I was at the Owls v Everton semi at Villa Park a few years earlier - the police had a filter system on the roads leading to the ground - if you had no ticket you could not even get near the turnstyles .

 

If Only !!

[rick9525 10]

I was 9 at the time and at my Grans in Ecclesall and may parents came back from town around 16:00 and put the telly on saying there was been a a major incident at Hillborough and we saw pictures from the ground.

 

I am still angry and upset at the police and others 20 years on.

 

Horrid for the friends and familes who lost loved ones and for all concerned at the ground.

[number1owlal 10]

in the penny black,watching liverpool and forest fans running at each other in pond street

[Lorri 10]

I was gardening. We lived next to the A61 at that time and heard many many sirens. Found out what had happened when we put the radio on

[Strix 11]

In Doncaster, where we lived at the time. My uncles went to all the away cup matches, so it was hell watching and not knowing where they were or if they were safe. Knowing the exchange would be jammed, all we could do was sit and wait for my gran to call from Liverpool as we knew she would once she'd heard from them

 

My uncles are eternally grateful to the residents of Hillsborough who opened their doors to complete strangers to allow their phones to be used to contact despairing families at home in Liverpool. They went back some weeks later and took flowers to the lady who'd let them use her phone IIRC

 

I know just being there left a deep scar on them

 

We were in Liverpool only a couple of weeks later - the place wasn't recognisable. Liverpool people have humour in everything they say and do (more or less). The whole city had the feeling of a funeral. Nobody so much as smiled. I don't think there is anybody in the city who didn't know somebody there that day

 

It was the 18th birthday of one of Mr Strix's mates...

[Rocklegend 10]

In Miami airport bar...there was a TV on ,I'm sure it was in black & white;showing Leppings Lane end.We knew that the game had been abandoned-the pilot told us-but we had no idea why.