Survivors recall wartime tragedy

Survivors want a better tribute than the existing plaque

Survivors of the 1943 Bethnal Green Tube station disaster have remembered the 173 people - including 62 children - who died in the tragedy.

They joined families of the victims in marking the 64th anniversary of the catastrophe with a church service.

The disaster - Britain's worst civilian incident in WWII - happened on 3 March, 1943, when people rushed to enter the station after an air raid warning.

A woman with a baby tripped in the darkness on wet steps, causing a crush.

Permanent memorial

No German bombs fell on the East End that night, and it is believed that the people panicked after hearing an experimental anti-aircraft gun going off in nearby Victoria Park.

Saturday's service was followed by a meeting to rally support for plans to build a permanent memorial to those who died at Bethnal Green tube station.

Campaigners hope to raise the £600,000 needed to build the memorial - envisaged as a bronze "stairway to heaven" over the station entrance - in time for next year's 65th anniversary.

The service was attended by representatives of London Underground and the emergency services, as well as local MP George Galloway and Tower Hamlets Council leader Denise Jones.