UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: The scene of the fire in New Cross, 1981
The blaze claimed the lives of 13 young black teenagers and young people and left approximately 27 others injured. Another guest, died two years later, in a suspected suicide. “I woke up in an ‘Iron Chest’, it’s a thing that goes over your whole body to take the pressure off your lungs, it’s like a vacuum – I was in that for a month.”
“Then when I come back, I have to spend a week in hospital for research and so they can check I am alright before I can return to work again.” “I’ve experienced absolute loneliness, I’ve had a lonely life because my school friends died there in my home – it was my class friends. He revealed after losing his two siblings in the fire, his mother became over protective of him and “put a big curtain of cushioning around me after the fire to protect my mind.” He said: “That was very stressful, she was always concerned about me, my dad always concerned about me, it was just a lifetime of stress. “I was stuck at home, so I focused on academia, I was back in that world. “After that party, I was just grounded, seriously grounded.
At the time, there was a widely held assumption within the black community that the fire was started deliberately and was a racist attack. “Counselling would have helped us cope or have the coping skills to move forward because we were children. He explained he feels now was the right time to open up and share his story, so his loved ones and friends that he lost are not forgotten.Speaking on the media coverage about the fire so far, he said: “My dear family and friends don’t even get mentioned, it’s like a blip in history, I don’t want them to be a blip, that is why we are talking and doing the exhibition.”
Mr Ruddock said there were so many community committees involved in the campaign who came from across the UK to offer support. Lorna Tavares, Robert Ruddock and Katie Boyce, Senior Exhibitions and Programming Officer at the Rugby Art and Museum Gallery “The Ruddock family are initially from Rugby, Warwickshire, so they were with us for Christmas in 1980.