Local leaders, volunteers and relatives marked the 74th anniversary of the Bethnal Green tube disaster on Sunday 5th March during a Memorial Service at St John Church. The memorial service marked the tragedy that befell those that sought shelter in the tube station on the 3rd March 1943, during the Second World War when 173 people died and around 300 people became trapped after a large crowd attempted to find shelter in the tube station during an air raid. The Bethnal Green tube disaster was the biggest loss of civilian life during the Second World War.

Rushanara Ali MP who attended the memorial service on Sunday 5th March said:

“It is an honour to attend the 74th anniversary of the Bethnal Green tube disaster. Every year members of our community pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the heart of Bethnal Green. The loss of 173 lives was avoidable that night in 1943 and the long-standing efforts by those here today to ensure a permanent memorial is created shows the strong sense of community spirit alive in the East End.”

“Preserving the memory of those who lost their lives is important not just for the families but for the whole community and once again I would like to pay tribute to the Stairway to Heaven Memorial project which has been working tirelessly over the last few years to raise money to properly commemorate all those who lost their lives.”

Rushanara also wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post on the tragedy