Commemoration
The tragedy was commemorated in a number of reggae songs and poems at the time, including Johnny Osbourne’s "13 Dead and Nothing Said", Benjamin Zephaniah’s "13 Dead" and Linton Kwesi Johnson’s "New Crass Massakkah".
On 14 January 2011, Remembering the New Cross Fire 30 Years On was held at the Albany Theatre in Deptford. The event was hosted by Kwame Kwei-Armah and was an evening of spoken word, film, discussion and Lover's Rock music. It featured contributions from Alex Pascall OBE, Professor Gus John, filmmaker Menelik Shabazz, spoken word artists El Crisis and Zena Edwards, novelist Courttia Newland and musicians Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson. Many of the victims families and the survivors attended the event.
On 16 January 2011 a church service was held to remember the victims of the 1981 New Cross Fire, 30 years on.
St Andrew’s Church, Brockley, has a strong connection with the young victims as many of them attended the youth club there. In October 2002, Lewisham Council installed a special stained-glass window in their memory.
On 16 January 2011, a memorial service was held at St Andrew's Church, with speakers including: George Francis, Chair of the New Cross Fire Parents Committee; Lewisham Council leader Sir Steve Bullock; and Joan Ruddock, MP for Lewisham Deptford.
In January 2011, the victims of the New Cross Fire were also commemorated with a Blue Plaque from Nubian Jak. The event was filmed by www.ReggaeTV.biz TV Channel, and aired internationally from August 2011.
There is stone memorial in Fordham Park, Deptford, listing those who died as a result of the New Cross Fire. Facing the stone memorial is a bench with a memorial inscription. Both were installed in 2012.
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