Bolton Wanderers Football Club and the Vicar of Bolton, Rev Hannah Lane, will hold a memorial service at Bolton Parish Church on Monday 9th March 2026 to remember the 33 supporters who lost their lives in the Burnden Park Disaster on 9th March 1946.
This year marks 80 years since the darkest day in the club’s history. On that Saturday afternoon, Wanderers hosted Stoke City in an FA Cup sixth-round second-leg tie at Burnden Park. An estimated 85,000 supporters packed into the ground drawn by the prospect of cup football’s return after the war and the presence of the legendary Stanley Matthews in the Stoke line-up. What should have been a celebration of football’s peacetime revival turned to tragedy when terrace barriers collapsed at the Railway End, causing a fatal crush that claimed 33 lives and injured hundreds more.
The memorial service will take place at 6.30pm, with doors opening at 6.00pm. All are welcome to attend and pay their respects at what remains one of the most solemn occasions in the club’s calendar. Rev Hannah Lane will lead the service.
The club continues to honour the memory of those who died through the permanent bronze relief beside the Nat Lofthouse statue at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, the Book of Remembrance displayed at the stadium’s main reception, and the memorial plaque at the Asda store on Manchester Road, which now occupies the site of the former Burnden Park ground.
Eighty years on, the pain of that day has not diminished. Thirty-three men, women and children from across the North West of England went to watch a football match and did not come home. Bolton Wanderers Football Club will never forget them, and we are determined that the town of Bolton will not forget them either. This memorial service is an opportunity for the wider community to come together in reflection and remembrance.
THE 33
Those who lost their lives at Burnden Park on 9th March 1946
Wilfred Addison
Wilfred Allison
Fred Battersby
James Battersby
Robert Bentham
Harry Ratcliffe Birtwistle
Henry Bimson
John Thomas Blackshaw
William Braidwood
Frederick Campbell
Fred Price Dearden
William Evans
Winston Finch
John Flinders
Albert Edward Hanrahan
Emily Hodgkinson
William Hughes
Frank Jubb
John Livesey
John Thomas Lucas
Harold McAndrew
William McKenzie
Morgan Mooney
Harry Unsworth Needham
David Pearson
Joseph Platt
Sidney Potter
Granville Roberts
Richard Roby
Thomas Roby
Thomas Smith
Walter Wilmott
James Wilson
An Appeal to Relatives
The club would be grateful to hear from any relatives or descendants of those who lost their lives in the Burnden Park Disaster. As we mark 80 years since the tragedy, we are keen to ensure that the families of the 33 remain connected to the club and are aware of the commemorative events taking place. If you are related to, or know of relatives of, any of the 33 victims, we would warmly encourage you to get in touch with Paul Holliday at the club.
Contact: Paul Holliday
Email: pholliday@bwfc.co.uk
EVENT DETAILS
What: Memorial Service marking the 80th Anniversary of the Burnden Park Disaster
When: Monday 9th March 2026, 6.30pm (doors open 6.00pm)
Where: Bolton Parish Church (St Peter’s, Bolton-le-Moors), Church Gate, Bolton
Led by: The Vicar of Bolton, Rev Hannah Lane
Admission: Free. All welcome.