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The 97


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The 96 names never forget.

 

Byline: LUKE TRAYNOR 

 

The victims of Hillsborough ... written and researched by LUKE TRAYNOR Additional reporting by Rachel Cooper

 

JACK ANDERSON, 62 JACK Anderson was the second oldest Reds supporter to die in the crushes, aged 62. His son, Brian, who went to Hillsborough with his dad, survived despite being just minutes from death. He said: "Dad's real passion was Liverpool Football Club. He had supported them since he was a boy through thick and thin. "When he married mum (Eileen) in 1946 he had a motorbike and that's when she got the LFC bug. "They used to go to all the Lancashire and Yorkshire matches on it and usually got lost on the way back. "He was a devoted husband, dad to me and my sister and grandad of four. "He was a Sunday League referee and even had some run-ins with Phil Thompson while he was on the line, watching his local pub team, The Falcon. "He was also a staunch Labour man and when he was made redundant from Otis Elevators, he got a job in security at the Charity Commission's office in Liverpool city centre. "He said there were many Tory politicians that went there - when Michael Heseltine came he was determined to make things difficult. "'I don't care who you are - get the right pass or you're not coming in', he was going to say. He was desperate for Maggie Thatcher to come, but she never did." 

 

COLIN ASHCROFT, 19 COLIN Ashcroft was 19 when he died at Hillsborough. The teenager attended a special needs school inWarrington and had left to start work as a gardener at Padgate College. Mum Janet, 65, now lives in Somerset after re-marrying in 2004. She said: "Colin actually used to be a Manchester United fan, but they had a bad season one year, so he swapped allegiances. "He was quite charming and got on well with people. "Sometimes, Hillsborough feels like it was only yesterday. The acute pain eases off but Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries can be difficult. I would have been happier if the people who were responsible for what happened had just said sorry at the time." 

 

JAMES ASPINALL, 18 

 

JAMES Aspinall was 18 when he died at Hillsborough. He had been working at a shipping company in James Street after leaving St Thomas Beckett School, in Knowsley. The teenager had travelled to Sheffield with his friend Graham Wright, 17, who also died on the terraces. Their families held a double funeral for the two boys. Mum Margaret, an active member of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said: "James was very popular and had a fantastic personality. A lot of his friends still come and see me now. "He loved football and was a big Chris de Burgh fan. In the week before he died, he was always asking me if anything had come in the post as he'd just joined his fan club. "On the Sunday, the day after Hillsborough, the letter from Chris dropped through the letterbox. "The match was James's first away game. He'd been to about six home games. He was so excited with getting a ticket. "Now, I don't like it when people use the word 'justice.' I prefer the word accountability. There has been no accountability. 

 

GERARD BARON, 67 

 

GERARD Baron was the oldest fan to lose his life that day, aged 67. He was the brother of former Liverpool player Kevin Baron, who played for the club in the 1950 FA Cup final. 

 

SIMON BELL, 17 

 

SIMON Bell was a talented cricketer who played for The Northern Club and also for Lancashire Schools. The former Merchant Taylors' pupil was 17 when he died at Hillsborough. His father Christopher and mother Joan remember their son as a "very popular boy who enjoyed himself." 

 

KESTER BALL, 16 

 

KESTER Ball was 16 when he died at Hillsborough. His father, Roger, supported Liverpool FC since he was a boy, and attended matches from the early 60s onwards. This love of the Reds was passed on to Kester, who saw Liverpool win the European Cup in Paris in 1981, and the Double at Chelsea and Wembley in 1986. Both held Kop season tickets, and travelled to Hillsborough together. Kester died in Pen 4. His father was carried out unconscious and made a full physical recovery. Kester spent the first years of his life at the family home in Maghull, with his parents Brenda and Roger, and older sister, Juliette. In subsequent years, the family moved to Blackburn, Newcastle upon Tyne, Hexham, and eventually, St Albans, when Roger took up a managerial post in London. In April, 1989, Kester was studying for four A-levels at Parmiter's School, Garston, Watford, and his ambition was to work in finance. He was a good middle and long distance runner, having taken part in a number of half-marathons and 10k races. He held the Parmiter's School record for boys at 1,500m. He was also a keen tennis player, and an active member of the local Boy Scouts group. BARRY BENNETT, 26 for his job. "He was a deep sea tugboatman," his brother, Philip, recalls. "He'd got a job as a ship's mate when he was 17 and worked his way up the ranks. He was about to take his exams to be a first mate." Whenever Barry, 26, was on dry land, he went to see Liverpool play and on the day of the disaster, he had gone to the match with a group of friends. He wasn't even meant to be at the Leppings Lane End, remembers Philip. "He'd swapped his ticket with a girl so that she could sit down. "I'm convinced it killed my father," says Philip of the tragedy. "He died a few years ago after suffering from dementia, which I believe was brought on by the shock." Philip, who grew up with his brother in Aintree, with father Sidney and mother Edna, says that Barry was a happy-go-lucky guy loved by everyone. "We enjoyed spending time together," says Philip, 48. "We spent summers surfing in Cornwall and those are the memories I have." "You can't be bitter," adds Philip. "You have to have faith, and I know he's in a better place now." DAVID BENSON, 22 DAD-OF-ONE David Benson, 22, came from Penketh, in Warrington. He went to school in Halewood and at the time was working in the timber trade in Widnes. Today, David would have been a grandad as his daughter Kirsty, then two, has just had a baby. Mum Gloria said: "David was football mad. He was outgoing and had loads of friends. He lived for his work and his football. "He went to Hillsborough with the boy next door, they had a ticket each, one for the stand and one for the Leppings Lane. "They tossed for it and David got the terrace ticket. "Initially, losing him was a nightmare, but as the years go by, things get a little bit easier. "We have lots of happy memories.We had a caravan in NorthWales which we all used to go to when the boys were growing up, but it was difficult to go back to after Hillsborough." David has a twin brother, Paul, and dad, Brian. DAVID BIRTLE, 22 DAVID Birtle's pre-match routine was always the same. The Cannock 22-year-old would pop into The Arkles pub for just one bottle of Newcastle brown ale before venturing into the ground. For the fateful semi-final, he did exactly the same. The Staffordshire man had just passed his long distance lorry test and had been in the job for a month. Dad Jim Saunders, 65, said: "He loved it and he loved Liverpool FC more. He was living with me in a pub in Cannock. "When I hadn't heard from him on that day, and he didn't ring, I'd never gone to Sheffield, but I went up there on my own to look for him. I went to the ground, had an argument with a copper and threatened to knock him out. Then in the gym, I recognised him because he had a parrot on his T-shirt. He was all trodden. "Liverpool were brilliant for us, I can't fault them. We went up to Anfield and they let us bury his ashes on the pitch. "David loved his snooker and his darts and loved helping mentally-handicapped children as I was in charge of an organisation. "He was a big lad, getting on for 6ft and would get on with anyone. He lived up in Liverpool when he was on the dole. "He thought the revolution was up there. I was a West Bromwich Albion supporter, but he was all Liverpool." 

 

STEVEN BROWN, 25 

 

STEVEN Brown, 25, from Llan-y-Pwll, Wrexham. His widow, Sarah, was expecting his baby. After the tragedy, she said: "I loved Steven so much. The baby will always remind me of him. " He was a loving husband." 

 

HENRY BURKE, 47 PAUL David Brady was 21 when he went to watch Liverpool at Hillsborough. A former pupil at Chesterfield High School, in Crosby, he loved football, music and girls. His family said: "He was well-loved and is missed every day." HENRY Burke, 47. Widow Christine said: "He gave me 25 years of happy memories. He was so well-loved. "He was always there for us all." 

 

PETER BURKETT, 24 

 

APRIL has become a black month for mother Anne Burkett. Four years ago, she lost her husband Terry on April 8, and had to pick his death certificate up on April 15. Sixteen years earlier, her son Peter, 24, died at Hillsborough. Peter came from Rock Ferry and had recently bought a house in Prenton. He worked for Royal Insurance in Liverpool. Anne said: "Peter was a very gentle person and we often think that during the crushes he would have been apologising for hurting people. "Even now, his work friends are still in touch with us, which is lovely. He was a keen golfer with his dad and loved horse racing." His dad, Terry, was the founder member of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign which lobbied tirelessly for answers for the 96. On April 15, the Burkett family follow their own routine by visiting the HJC shop and stopping by the Hillsborough Flame outside the stadium. 

 

PAUL CARLILE, 19 

 

PAUL Carlile, 19, never started his new job. "The day of the Nottingham Forest match, he was celebrating," remembers Paul's sister, Donna Miller. "He'd just finished his apprenticeship as a plasterer and he was starting a new job on the Monday. "He had everything ahead of him." "He was a lovely lad," says Donna, 43. "He would light up a room. I always think that he would have made such a lovely dad. "My daughter was four at the time and my son was six months old. Paul loved them to bits. "They didn't find Paul until 7.30 on the Sunday morning," Donna recalls. "The doctor had to sedate my mum because she was in such a terrible state. Even now, the only way she can get through the day is with her tablets. She still doesn't sleep very well. "One minute you're ordinary people, the next minute you're having to deal with this disaster," says Donna. "It's the kind of thing you think you'll never have to deal with. We didn't know how to respond. "You learn to live with your grief, but you never get over it. At Christmases and birthdays, you go through the motions, but there's always a void. "Paul came home in his coffin a week later, on his sister Michelle's 21st birthday," Donna remembers. "Him and his friend, Carl Lewis, who had also died at Hillsborough, had a joint funeral. "We went to the inquest every day, but we still didn't get any answers. It was a farce - all they concentrated on was the drinking. "The inquest was told that people died within a couple of minutes, but we know that Paul was fighting for life. "We saw pictures of him trying to climb into another pen." "My mum always says there were two disasters," Donna adds. "The day they died and the day the cover-up started." 

 

RAYMOND CHAPMAN, 50 

 

RAY Chapman shouldn't have been at Hillsborough. The 50-year-old dad-of-two did not have enough vouchers to qualify for a ticket, but at the last minute a friend in his Prenton local gave him his because he couldn't travel. "I went with him into Liverpool to get the ticket," says his widow Joan, 66, now a grandmother-of-three. "Before he set off on the day, we arranged to meet at the Halfway House for a drink that evening when he was back. "I had a shirt ironed and ready on the bed for him to get changed into. I'll never, ever forget that night. "I think the first couple of years after Ray died I was in shock. I fell into a depression and felt like jumping in the dock, but I kept on for the kids. "I remember going to Sheffield to see Ray's body. All the victims were in one room and it was like a madhouse with screaming and crying. "I was terrified of seeing him in case he was badly injured but he just had a bruise on his face and looked asleep. His hair was slightly out of place and I wanted to fix it for him but he was behind glass casing. "Ray was a fitter for Champions Sparking, in Upton, and he was very popular. He was a lovely man. A real gentleman who was a great father and husband. "I wouldn't be surprised if he had gone back to help someone before he died." 

 

GARY CHURCH, 19 

 

ON THE day of the semi-final, teenager Gary Church was picked up in Seaforth Road in a minibus by a group of mates for the journey across to Sheffield. Half of the lads that happily took a seat on that bus, full of hope and expectation, never made it back to Merseyside. At the time, Gary, 19, was living with his mum and dad in Sefton and training to be a joiner after years at Manor High School, in Crosby. On the Wednesday night before the semi-final, a friend telephoned Gary to relay the unexpected news that he'd got him a ticket for Hillsborough. Sister Karen Staniford, now 43, was 23 when she lost her brother. Today, she still remembers random thoughts of the day such as Gary's work clothes blowing in the wind outside on the washing line. When police knocked on the door the following morning, at 3am, to officially confirm Gary's death, she vividly remembers gripping the curtains in shock. Karen said: "After seeing what was happening on the telly, my dad just had the feeling that Gary wasn't coming home. "On the Sunday, after it had been confirmed, the Red Cross picked him up and took him to Sheffield. "I don't know how they {the police} got away with it and that there's nobody to blame. They {the Liverpool fans} were being pushed around like animals. It shouldn't have happened. Someone should take responsibility. "Every year, my dad lights a candle for Gary in the living room at 3.06pm. It's hard to believe that Gary has now been dead longer than he was alive. "Gary's was the first of the Hillsborough funerals. I remember John Barnes and other players being in our house and they closed Crosby Road off. "I got back from my brother's funeral and I put on the TV and saw it being played back to me. That was strange. "There was a lot of interest in it, as it was the first one. We had reporters knocking on our door all the time." 

 

JOSEPH CLARK, 29 

 

JOSEPH "Joey" Clark, of Changford Gardens, Kirkby, came from a large family of four brothers and a younger sister. They are Stephen, now 51, Gerard, 50, Paul, 48, Ian, 46, and Jacqeline, 36. He died alongside his best friend Alan McGlone. The 29-year-old was a speedy winger who played for the Woodpecker bar FC. Sister Jacqueline said: "Apart from his family, one of his best interests was his own football. "He was a good footballer and played every week. "He was very kindhearted and a loving son who is loved and longed for so much." 

 

PAUL CLARK, 18 

 

DAD Kenneth Clark describes April 15, 1989, as the worst day of his life. He had travelled from Derbyshire with his son Paul, 18, and some of his friends. At Hillsborough, Kenneth went off to sit in the stand while Paul headed for the Leppings Lane terraces. Despite rushing straight to the other side of the stadium after the crushing, it was not until midnight that he saw his son. The 61-year-old, from Alfreton, Derbyshire, said: "It was the worst day of my life. I had to ring my wife and tell her to come down. "I spent hours in a social services place with Jenni Hicks, who I didn't know at the time. "I had to go to the gymnasium and see him, with all the pictures of those who died on the board." Paul had a job as an apprentice electrician and liked fishing, golf and watching Liverpool FC. Kenneth added: "He was outgoing and always smiling, a normal teenager. He was a great guy. "Now, you have good days and you have bad days. It's never easy." 

 

TRACEY COX, 23 

 

TRACEY Elizabeth Cox was about to sit her finals at Sheffield University. "She was training to be a speech therapist," her parents, June and Geoff, recall. "On the morning of her death she had been proof-reading her dissertation. With this and her coursework, the University posthumously awarded her degree." The youngest of five children, Tracey, 23, died at Hillsborough with her boyfriend Richard Jones. Tracey's sister, Bridget Hill, remembers, "Tracey was not a great football fan before she met Rick, but she went on to support Liverpool as Rick came from Liverpool and he was a big supporter." "They were a lovely couple," say June and Geoff. "They are sadly missed by both families. We will never know, if they had lived and married, the additional grand children we might now have to love and to cherish." Bridget adds: "Tracey's plaque at the crematorium sums up how we feel about losing her - 'Life for so many will never be the same without her'. "That day left a big hole in all our lives." 

 

STEPHEN COPOC, 20 

 

HILLSBOROUGH victim Stephen Copoc was aged 20 and lived in Speke. 

 

VINCENT FITZSIMMONS, 34 

 

VINCENT Fitzsimmons, 34, came from Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan. He had just got a promotion with a plastics firm in Winsford before the semi-final. Former partner Marjorie said: "He was fantastic, he got on well with everybody, he was the life and soul. "We were together for five years and we had a lot of happy times. A fortnight before Hillsborough, we spent a weekend in Ireland - I'm so glad we had that time together. "The day it happened, I had been in Ormskirk and I remember trying to phone him throughout the night. "I've never met anybody that came up to his standard." 

 

JON-PAUL GILHOOLEY, 10 

 

JON-PAUL Gilhooley, of Huyton, was the youngest Liverpool fan to died at Hillsborough, aged just 10. His cousins Paula Kadiri and Donna Ridland, who would babysit him, described him as a "lovely kid". The St Columbus Primary school pupil was an altar boy and named after The Pope. He was the cousin of Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and the pair would play together; Steven was a year younger. Paula said: "When we all used to go to our nan's house, he'd go and insist on a kiss and cuddle. He was a really loving boy and the whole family loved him. "They put a plaque and a statue up at his school when he died." Donna added: "He loved swimming and riding on his BMX bike. I remember he bought a bottle of perfume for me at a jumble sale when he was only nine. I've still got it now. "At his funeral the flowers from his mum and dad, Jackie and Ronnie, spelt the message: 'To the world he was a football fan. To us, he was our world.' "That summed it up." 

 

PHILIP HAMMOND, 14 "DEAREST Philip, We miss you so much. Time endears and cannot fade. The memories so much love has made We will hold you close in our hearts Until that precious day when we can hold you in our arms. Lots of love Mum, Dad and Graeme." 

 

IAN GLOVER, 20 

 

IAN and Joe Glover were inseparable brothers who stood side by side on the Leppings Lane. Joe was to survive the terraces and came home to Liverpool, but his younger brother, 20, would not. After a decade never getting over Ian's death, Joe was killed in a freak accident near his Walton home when he was crushed by marble slabs. Sister Lorraine, 35, said: "I remember the two of them walking off together down the street to the semi-final.We were laughing because they were so different in height. "All Ian's clothes are still hanging up in the wardrobe in the back spare room, the shoes that he died in. "Ian would have been 40 this year and we wonder what would he be like now?Would he have kids?We talk about him every day." 

 

ROY HAMILTON, 34 

 

ROY Hamilton was a real gentleman, remembers his wife, Wendy. "He had a lovely personality and such an infectious laugh." Roy and Wendy had almost finished doing up their house in Waterloo when Roy, 34, died at Hillsborough. "Roy worked shifts for British Rail, so he didn't get to many away games," remembers Wendy, 59. "But my son Stuart wanted to go to the Nottingham Forest match, so they went on the coach together with my brother-in-law. Stuart got a seat at the game, but Roy loved to stand so he stood at the Leppings Lane End. "Stuart saw it all unfolding. He was taken to the boys club and he kept phoning and saying, 'Don't worry, he'll turn up'. "We travelled over to Sheffield at 11pm that night. Stuart had said they were on their way to the gym - he didn't realise at the time that it was a morgue. My brothers-in-law couldn't find his photo at the gym, so for about five minutes we had hope. But then we saw Stuart flanked by two social workers. He'd had to go and identify Roy. He was only 15. "I had to identify Roy as well, because Stuart was under-age, so the next day, we returned to Sheffield. We waited for six hours in the medical centre. It was all so disorganised. "I always think they were more guilty for how they behaved afterwards than for the day itself. They took our dignity from us." "All our lives changed that day," adds Wendy. "But Stuart was a changed person. "He went to work on Camp America when he was 17 and never came back. He stayed out there and married. They've got a baby now. "All he ever said about the day was, he couldn't understand why they brought the dogs on the pitch before the ambulances." 

 

STEVE FOX, 21 

 

THOMAS Fox, better known as Steve to his family, left school when he was 16. He used to work at the Cadburys chocolate factory, in Wirral, and would ride his moped every day from Birkenhead to Moreton. Mum Brenda remembers: "He was a lovely lad, generous and full of fun. He had a donor card in case he had an accident. "He said they could use everything, apart from his eyes. He always said, 'Mum, I'll be needing them'. "He was witty, quick tongued and made everyone laugh. When him and sister Lynne got together, their personalities bounced off each other. "The first 12 months after Steve died was the hardest. Everybody looked to me for strength. Steve was such a good-hearted lad, he wouldn't want his family going round with sad faces and not living. You get that focus as I knew I had to make the kids live. But it's not easy as they put a face on for you. "On the surface you look brave, but really you cry until the hurt goes. "When we heard we weren't going to get justice, the anger and the temper returned. But people used to say, 'You're a Scouser, you're supposed to carry on and laugh.' "Steve's death did have an effect on relationships." The last time Brenda listened to her son speak was as she lay in bed the night before Hillsborough. Steve had gone out with his mates and was creeping up the stairs with his friends at 4am, whispering, 'Don't wake my mum up.' She never heard him talk again. 

 

DERRICK GODWIN, 24 

 

DERRICK George Godwin, of Gloucester, was a season ticket holder at the Kop. "He was delighted to get the semi-final ticket against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough," remember his parents, Margaret and Stan. "Although we live 170 miles from Liverpool, he travelled up via Cheltenham and Birmingham to Liverpool by train to go to Anfield and get his ticket." Derrick, 24, was a quiet person by nature, say his parents. "He was very well-mannered and liked by everyone. His only outlet from work was LFC and he couldn't wait for the weekends to come and he would travel anywhere to watch the team play. "Since the Hillsborough disaster, we have met up with a lovely family from West Derby who have become our best friends.We often visit each other and they love to get down here in the country, so we feel that something good has come out of something bad, and their friendship, as a family, has certainly helped us over the years. "Derrick had one sister, Valerie, and she and her husband regularly come to Liverpool to watch matches, so they are carrying on the tradition for him." 

 

STEPHEN HARRISON, 31 GARY HARRISON, 27 

 

GARY and Stephen Harrison were always together. "They'd both have you doubled over," remembers their mum, Ann Wright. "They had a real Scouse wit." Gary and Stephen went to Hillsborough with David and Brian, two of their five brothers. "Thank God David and Brian were at the other end," says Ann, 75. "Otherwise, we might have lost four." Stephen had celebrated his 31st birthday the week before Hillsborough. He had four children and his youngest, Joanne, was less than one month old when he died. Gary, 27, had been married to Karen for ten years and they had two children, Paul and Claire. "Gary always loved football," Ann recalls. "He was a centre forward for Liverpool Boys and played for the Everton youth team for a while." Paul inherited his footballing prowess and went on to be a goalkeeper for Liverpool reserves. "Paul was always with his dad," says Ann. "After Gary died, Paul's grandfather would take him to the football and I think he got him where he is today." Ann, who now lives in Widnes, says that the grief of losing children is something you can't explain. "After it happened, I was just crying all the time - you can't help it when you think of all you've lost. "It took me a long time to realise I could smile. I would feel guilty for smiling, singing or dancing. "For a long time, I couldn't look at their pictures - I would just start crying. I still cry now because I think of what would have been - they would have been grandfathers now." Ann brought up her seven children on her own, but has been married to Tommy, 73, for 27 years. "I said some terrible things to Tommy after they died," Ann recalls. "But if it wasn't for him, I don't think I'd be here today." Ann adds: "I'll never get over it. It's always in my mind and sometimes, I still think that I can hear them saying 'mum'." "If somebody took responsibility, maybe I could settle," she says. "But we've never got justice." 

 

ERIC HANKIN, 33 

 

THE father of Hillsborough victim Eric Hankin has paid a moving tribute to his son and the people of Merseyside. Eric, 33, was a happily married, loving dad-of-two from Maghull, Sunday League footballer and Anfield season ticket holder. Mr Hankin (senior), 76, from Westmeade, said: "Our Eric was a very good father to his kids and he was a clever lad. He was married for 14 years and he was a psychiatric nurse at Ashworth hospital. "I used to take Eric on the Kop when he was a boy and he used to sit on my shoulders. He loved it. He was Liverpool mad and would go home and away." Eric was the only one of 12 mates who travelled by mini-bus never to come back on April 15, 1989. Later that night, one of young Eric's friends, Steve Fairley, came back to Merseyside to take his mate's dad back to Sheffield. Mr Hankin said: "It's 20 years on and the Merseyside public still have the same solidarity as they did 20 years ago. You really appreciate the kind words and support they have shown towards my family and I. "At the time of the disaster, there was a lot of bad things published about the Liverpool fans which were completely wrong. "But the people, the Family Support Group and the club have been amazing. The people of Liverpool will never forget." 

 

DAVE HAWLEY, 39 

 

RED-HOT Liverpudlian David Hawley went to the semi-final with his nephew Stephen O'Neill. Neither returned. The 39-year-old was a dad-of-three from St Helens who left a wife and three children. His family said: "Dave was a loving husband and a great dad. "He was simply the best." JAMES HENNESSY, 29 and lived in Great Sutton, South Wirral. He had been working for Ellesmere Port and Neston council and was about to start his own plastering business. He was married and had a young daughter, Charlotte, who was seven. Mum Margaret, 76, said: "Jim was a Mod. Everyone wanted to see him as he had the best mohair suits and a customised lovely metallic green Lambretta. "James Delaney and Christopher Edwards also come from the town and I've met their families to have a cry and a natter. "I was always very proud of him and I'll miss him. I'll never leave this house, there's too many memories of him here." 

 

and lived in Great Sutton, South Wirral. He had been working for Ellesmere Port and Neston council and was about to start his own plastering business. He was married and had a young daughter, Charlotte, who was seven. Mum Margaret, 76, said: "Jim was a Mod. Everyone wanted to see him as he had the best mohair suits and a customised lovely metallic green Lambretta. "James Delaney and Christopher Edwards also come from the town and I've met their families to have a cry and a natter. "I was always very proud of him and I'll miss him. I'll never leave this house, there's too many memories of him here." 

 

CARL HEWITT, 17 NICK HEWITT, 16 

 

CARL and Nicholas Hewitt were brothers, aged 17 and 16, who lived in Leicester and travelled to Sheffield for the semi-final. At the time, family friend Dennis Noon said: "Carl was like one of my own boys. He was tremendous. "He couldn't do enough to help out." Of his younger brother, Mr Noon added: "Nick was a caring lad and was loved and respected by everyone in the community." 

 

PETER HARRISON, 16 

 

PETER Harrison, 16, was looking forward to leaving Liverpool and going to live with his uncle in Jersey. The Page Moss teenager was a "good little footballer" and would never walk out of the house with a crease in his clothes. He attended Yew Tree Comprehensive School, on Fincham Road, and had two brothers, Steven and Michael. Uncle Mike Devon said: "Peter had a paper round and saved up to go the match. "It's very hard for the family, especially his mum, you never get over it. At this time of the year, we start to get a twitch. "Peter was looking at coming over to Jersey to work, possibly in the building trade, as he wanted a job and his own money. "He was very cheeky and I'm sure he would have been a car salesman or some sort of entrepreneur." 

 

JAMES DELANEY, 19 

 

JAMES Delaney was one of three men from Ellesmere Port among the 96. The 19-year-old worked at the Vauxhall car plant in the town after leaving a Catholic high school three years earlier. Brother Nick, 29, said: "He was a very popular lad who loved socialising and going on his holidays. "Wherever you go in Ellesmere Port, there are plaques up in pubs with his name on them. "It's a small place and everyone knows James, and James Hennessy and Christopher Edwards who died at Hillsborough and who also lived here. "The disaster wiped out a generation of our family, as I think it killed my parents and robbed them of their retirement. "I was just nine years old and I remember my mum going on a chat show about it. It was almost like a movie. "I adored him as a kid and James was always the centre of attention. Once my mum died, it spiralled my dad downhill. There are still lots of James's friends who were affected by the disaster, some still haven't got over it. "I remember Kenny Dalglish being unbelievable to our family. He sent us shirts, autographs and sent players to our house. "We used to get a Christmas card and anniversary card every year until about five years ago. "I'm a firm believer of justice for everything in life, but how long do you keep fighting for?" 

 

CHRIS EDWARDS, 29 

 

CHRISTOPHER Edwards, 29, lived in Ellesmere Port. Dad Sydney said: "He was a lab technician for British Steel in NorthWales and was a bit of a bachelor boy. "I used to say we always knew where he was - either at work, in the local social club or in bed. "He was a happy-go-lucky lad who has two sisters, Gail and Anne. "You have to live with what happened, it never goes away. Christopher is always in our minds because we were a close family. "It usually takes 20 years for the truth to come out, so who knows?" 

 

GARY COLLINS, 22 

 

GARY Collins, 22. A week after the disaster, his mum said: "He was happy-go-lucky and always did everything with a smile. "We're going to miss that smile and his jokes. He was always a bit of a comic." 

 

CHRISTOPHER DEVONSIDE, 18 

 

CHRISTOPHER Devonside, 18, who lived in Formby, was one of the many teenage victims of the Hillsborough disaster. Dad Barry said: "Chris was a credit to us and was superb in every possible way. He could join in with a laugh and joke with everyone. Along with his football, he loved his golf and volleyball. He was studying at Hugh Baird College and wanted to go into journalism." 

 

SARAH LOUISE HICKS, 19 VICTORIA JANE HICKS, 15 

 

PARENTS Trevor and Jenni Hicks lost their daughters Vicki, 15, and Sarah, 19, in the disaster. The family, then from Pinner, Middlesex, went to the match in Sheffield together, something they always did as a family. On the day, Jenni sat in the stands while Trevor and the daughters made their way into Leppings Lane. When they got to the terrace, the two girls left their dad to find their friends while Trevor went to buy a coffee. The teenagers made their way into the central pens, while, moments later, Trevor chose to stand in the side pens, which were far emptier. He remembers sitting down and reading the match programme, as cheers went up as it was announced that Alan Hansen was playing. But he became increasingly alarmed by the bulging crowds in the two middle sections. The next time Trevor saw his daughters was on the pitch, they were both lying on the ground in need of emergency medical help. He was left with the impossible decision of accompanying one of them to hospital, and leaving the other on the pitch to get medical treatment. Trevor went on to lead the Hillsborough Family Support Group, of which he is now president. He was a central figure in the fight for justice during the inquest hearings in Sheffield and the private prosecutions in Leeds. Trevor and Jenni have divorced but remain in contact and meet regularly on Hillsborough business. The dad said: "Lord Justice Taylor got it right, he said the fundamental cause of Hillsborough was a loss of police control on the day and I concur with that fully. "There was no way they never knew that crowd was in distress. I'll never accept that. "I can't have what I wanted. I wanted grandkids and the girls to do well.We'll never be able to have that now." 

 

PAUL HEWITSON, 26 

 

PAUL Hewitson was a true Red, remembers his father. "We used to go to all the matches together," says William Hewitson. "He had a trial for Everton when he was 17. But he couldn't get along there, he was too much of a mad Liverpudlian. "If he'd had a trial for Liverpool, he'd have probably have made it." Paul, 26, from Crosby, who was training to be a bricklayer and about to start a roofing business when he died, is remembered by William as a "great lad". "He was well-liked by everyone." Sisters Tracy and Debbie said: "He was a wonderful son to his mum, Susie, a brilliant brother and we miss him so much. Our hearts are broken." 

 

THOMAS HOWARD, 39 

 

LINDA Howard lost both her husband and teenage son at Hillsborough. Husband Tommy, 34, and son Tommy, 14, had left their Runcorn home early to get places near the front of the Leppings Lane terrace. The mother was with her two other children, eight and 11, sitting in a cinema inWarrington as the tragedy unfolded. Mrs Howard has told of how she had a premonition of their deaths, feeling crushing pains and gasping for breath in the Odeon cinema. Linda had been married to Tom for 13 years and they were a typical young family, enjoying holidays to Butlins, Pontins and once to Spain. 

 

ARTHUR HORROCKS, 41 

 

ARTHUR Horrocks, 41, of Town Lane, Bebington, was popular and well remembered in the area. He held down a job at The Prudential. Susan Horrocks, his wife, worked at Town Lane Infant School. She moved to Bidston after his death and lives there still. She said: "He loved LFC with a passion. He enjoyed a good night out, and loved family parties where he was the life and soul. He also had a great sense of humour. He loved his two boys, Jamie and Jon, very much and would be proud of the two of them. "He was the man from The Pru, and was highly thought of not only as the Pru Man, but also as a friend to his customers." 

 

TOMMY HOWARD, 14 ERIC HUGHES, 42 ERIC Hughes was 42 and was living in Warrington when he died at Hillsborough . 

 

GORDON HORN, 20 

 

FOR most of his teenage years, Gordon Horn was known as "The Gopher". Liverpool FC-mad, his task was to go to Anfield and buy tickets for the match for him and all his friends. Those he was helping out would pay his bus fare. But Gordon would walk instead and pocket the money to fund his own ticket. Playing the flute in the Orange Lodge and supporting the Reds were the West Derby 20-year-old's life. In 1984, Gordon pestered his family to let him go to the ill-fated European Cup Final at Heysel. But his sister, who he lived with, decided he was too young to attend and he stayed back on Merseyside. Five years later, on the day of Hillsborough, his sister, Denise Hough, was at a neighbour's house having her hair done when the tragedy unfolded. In a moment she will never forget, at around 3.40pm, she saw her brother Gordon, then 20, being carried away on a stretcher. "I was in hysterics, I just felt sick," Denise said. "You try and deny it and wipe it out of your brain. "But in my heart, I knew that he was dead." Often, Gordon travelled to away matches with Barnes Travel. But, on the day of Hillsborough, he decided to go with mates from the Beaconsfield Club, on The Strand, in Bootle. Denise remembers: "My brother did lots of odd jobs and I thought if anyone could escape the chaos it would be him. "He'd been to Hillsborough the year before and he was aware of the tunnels and entrances. "It was at around 4.10am the following day when his death was confirmed. "But I already knew." For six years after Gordon's death, Denise found it physically impossible to make sausage and chips with curry sauce. It was her brother's favourite meal. 

 

ALAN JOHNSTON, 29 

 

ALAN Johnston, 29, of Circular Drive, Walton, is survived by three brothers Charles, George and Kenneth, who have since moved away from Liverpool. Alan went to Rice Lane School before winning a scholarship to the Margaret Brice Liverpool Institute. He died before completing his final year of accountancy at Fazakerley and Aintree Hospitals. Brother Kenneth, who now works at the Rugeley Power Station, in Stafford, said: "He was a young man with a very pleasant attitude and is still missed to this day." CHRISTINE JONES, 27 CHRISTINE Anne Jones was 27 and came from Preston. She worked as a radiographer at the Royal Preston Hospital and lived with her husband, Steve. Christine used to support Blackpool, but when she married Steve, whose parents came from Liverpool, the Reds became part of her life. Mum Mavis Alderson said: "She was a kind and caring person. She was bubbly and chatty and taught at Sunday school." 

 

CARL LEWIS, 18 

 

CARL Lewis was 18 when he died at Hillsborough. A former pupil at St Kevin's Comprehensive School, in Kirkby, he was working as a scaffolder. He was a big Liverpool fan and went to Sheffield with his two brothers, Michael and David. Carl had a daughter, Chantelle, who was 11 months when her dad died. Mum Margaret said: "He was a happy-go-lucky lad. When he got paid on a Friday he'd get a bath and start singing. "Michael still has a season ticket at Anfield, but David won't go any more because of what happened. "It doesn't feel like 20 years has passed. It was terrible at the start, David, the youngest couldn't cope. "It's always hard when these anniversaries come round." 

 

DAVID MATHER, 19 

 

DAVID Mather was 19 when he died at Hillsborough. He lived in Huyton, off Page Moss Lane, and worked for the Post Office in Brownlow Hill. When his parents separated, David became the "man of the house" and the main breadwinner for the family. Aunt Jacki Morcroft said: "He was a very quiet lad, the first grandchild, and was doted on. "They put a plaque on the bar at the pub where he used to drink in Huyton." The family are keen to contact anyone who helped David and carried him out of the pen. He went to the match with four friends, but they were separated when the crush swept through the terrace. His friends managed to escape, but David wasn't so lucky. His family is still searching for those who may have spent their final moments with the teenager. NICHOLAS JOYNES, 27 PAT and Peter Joynes had three sons, all fervent Liverpool supporters. Nicholas, 27, was a good footballer who played for Bootle Boys through some of his teenage years. Nicholas, from Knowsley Village, went to Sheffield in a minibus with around seven friends and met up with Francis McAllister, who would also sadly die, in the disaster. At the time of the tragedy, he worked as an engineer at Otis Elevators, in Kirkby, and lived with his wife in Lydiate. Pat said: "I am ever hopeful that the truth will emerge and we'll get the justice for our loved ones. I just hope it happens before we die." ANTHONY KELLY, 29 ANTHONY Kelly was the light of his mum's life. "He was my life," says Betty Almond, from Rock Ferry. "But he was taken away from me on a day that should have been very happy. "For 20 years, I've been living in a nightmare. I wish I could wake up and find him and the 95 all well. "He is missed so much by myself and family and friends," she adds. Anthony, 29, had served in the Army and Betty used to love hearing his stories. "He came home from Northern Ireland," she says. "But then went to a football match and never came home. It's such a waste of a life. "We've never had justice for the deaths of 96 people," she adds. "Don't ever let it happen again. I would not like anyone else to go through what the 96 families are going through." For Betty, who describes herself as a "broken-hearted mum", the grief of losing her only child is difficult to put into words. "It's just a heartache," she says. "Just to hear his voice again would be my greatest wish." 

 

GARY JONES, 18 

 

GARY Jones was 18, and lived in Maghull. He loved football, golf and horse racing. "He might have been a wheeler and a dealer if he'd have lived," says dad Phil. The teenager had favourite bands, including Lloyd Cole and The Commotions and Deacon Blue. He left a brother Stephen, sisters Catherine and Julie, and mum and dad Phil and Maureen. Hillsborough was his first away match and he went with his cousin who had a stand ticket, while Gary was on the terraces. Dad Phil said: "He was great. You learn to live with it, but holidays, birthdays, particular music brings it back." 

 

RICHARD JONES, 25 

 

DOREEN and Les Jones, who lost their son Richard, 25, paid tribute to him along with their family. "Rick, I find it hard to believe that 20 years have gone by since I last held you, or heard your laughter echoing around our home. "I miss everything that was you, and like most mums, adored her son. Thank you, Rick, for making me so proud to be your mum for 25 wonderful years of love, laughter and lots of fun. "Yes, I wanted more, so much more, but until we meet again you are always on my mind and forever in my heart. So many questions remain unanswered, why didn't he get to hospital, why was he declared dead on a dirty gymnasium floor. "Why, when 96 people died, has no one been held responsible. Twenty years on and these questions, and lots more, are still being asked. "Love you." Mum, dad, Steph and 

 

MICHAEL KELLY, 38 MICHAEL Kelly was 38 and living in Bristol when he travelled to Sheffield with the Liverpool Stratford and Avon Supporters Club. Born and bred in Old Swan, he settled in the South and worked as a warehouse man for National Freight Transport. When details of the disaster emerged, brother Steve drove to Hillsborough with his wife and made his way to the Leppings Lane, where the gates were already adorned with bouquets of flowers. A police officer tried to move him on, but he refused and threw his car keys away to signal he was not budging. Michael was the last to be identified, his body being kept in a church hall. Brother Steve, 55, said: "Michael was a loner who travelled everywhere to see Liverpool. He introduced me to Bob Dylan, loved cricket and was good with his family. "I have good times and bad times. I only have to see Kenny Dalglish and I think of it. I sometimes drive to the memorial just to touch his name. He went to all Liverpool's home and away games and after working all week he looked forward to a pint at the weekend. "Me and him had a good time together. He was a good brother to me and good to his family, too. It's a stressful time around the anniversary. "Me and Michael had good times together. If he can hear ... keep listening to Lennon and Dylan, and I hope you've still got long hair as I'm bald now." 

 

BRIAN MATTHEWS, 38 BRIAN Matthews was the life and soul of the party. "He'd walk into a room and it would light up," said his sister, Dianne. "Once you'd met him, you never forgot him." Dianne and younger sister, Debbie, remember Brian, 38, as being at the heart of the community. "We lived in Highfield Gardens when we were younger," said Debbie. "I remember when they built the new cathedral, Brian painted a huge mural of it and organised a party. "He was two months into a new job as a financial consultant, when he died," Debbie recalls. "Brian had been working as the manager of what was the National and Provincial building society in St Helens, where he'd become a bit of a local celebrity because he did lots of fundraising . "He used to do a fancy dress walk from Liverpool to the Granada studios in Manchester for Children in Need. He was so generous. "He was the Simon Cowell of his day," adds Dianne. "He used to judge the children's talent contest at the St Helens show and they have a trophy named after him now." Brian, the eldest son of Dora and Albert Matthews, is remembered as the organised one of the family. "If I had a problem, I went to Brian," Debbie recalls. "When we first heard about what was happening at Hillsborough, we weren't overly worried. We hadn't heard from him, but we thought that would be because he was busy helping everyone. "But, by the early hours of the morning, we knew he was dead. "After giving so much to society, my brother suffered such an ignominious death," added Debbie. "I sit and wonder what Brian would have achieved today as he was always striving to be better. Instead, his future was robbed from him. FRANCIS McALLISTER, 27 FRANCIS McAllister was 27 and came from Roby. Parents Frank and Veronica were visited by Archbishop Derek Worlock after the Hillsborough disaster. In 1996, Mrs McAllister remembered: "He has been our strength and our support for years. Hillsborough parents will always be thankful for what he did." JOHN McBRIEN, 18 months away from taking up his place at Liverpool University. The youngest of Joan Hope's three sons, John, 18, was studying politics, economics and maths at Holywell High School. "When the advanced politics class held a mock American presidential election, in November, 1988, John stood for the Democrats and was elected president of the school," remembers Joan, who lives in Flintshire. "He would have attended Liverpool University in the autumn of 1989." JOE McCARTHY, 21 

 

A ROOM at a university halls of residence in Sheffield is named The Joseph McCarthy Room. It is in memory of the adventurous 21-year-old, from Ealing, who was studying economics in Yorkshire. Mum Anna said: "There were three people who died at Hillsborough who were studying at Sheffield University. "Joseph was a president at one of the halls and they wanted to name a room after him in his memory." Anna was on holiday in Turkey with her husband, Sean, when they received a phone call at 5am on that Sunday informing them that Joseph was among the dead. One year and nine months after losing his son, dad Sean "dropped dead on the street", says Anna. "A doctor said it was delayed shock from Hillsborough. He was bringing some carpet back home. "We knew he could never get over it. He just died there and then from a heart attack. "First my son went out and never came back. Then, my husband did the same. "Joseph would venture at anything. He had a girlfriend and I remember we chose what school he went to depending on if they played football there. "What happened at Hillsborough was just unbelievable. I'll remember how both my sons were incredible. "There was no such thing as binge drinking or any trouble from them." MARIAN McCABE, 21 

 

MARIAN Hazel McCabe, 21, came from Basildon, in Essex. In April, 1989, mum Christine said: "She'd been a Liverpool supporter since she was 10 and followed them everywhere. "I feel so lost." PETER McDONNELL, 21 LIKE many young men at the end of the 1980s, Peter McDonnell was mad keen on Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel. Genesis were the band of the moment. The 21-year-old had signed a contract to do bricklaying, plastering and tiling and used to attend St John Almond Catholic High school, in Garston. Mum Evlyn said: "We played Don't Give Up {Peter Gabriel} at Peter's funeral at Mount Carmel, in the Dingle, which lots of people came to. "He was very outgoing and confident and he loved his music." KEITH McGRATH, 17 KEITH McGrath was a mad keen Genesis fan, his schoolbooks all etched with the name of lead singer Phil Collins. TheWavertree 17-year-old's bedroom was decorated with pictures of his Anfield heroes and they remain untouched today. Mum Mary Corrigan remembers: "Keith had left school at 16 and was proud as anything when he got his first job. He loved all sports and he would ideally have gone into commentary. But he was quite shy. I never had any trouble out of him. He was just a great lad. I'm proud to have had him as my son." 

 

ALAN McGLONE, 28 ALAN McGlone, 28, came from Northwood, Kirkby. His widow, Eileen, always remembered him being at his happiest working on a car. Cousin John is a member of the band Western Promise, who last year released the song, Justice For The 96. PAUL MURRAY, 14 PAUL Murray was 14 when he was taken to Hillsborough as a birthday treat. Mum Edna said: "He had posters of the club and players all over his bedroom walls." LEE NICOL, 14 LEE Nicol was the boy who touched the heart of Princess Diana. The 14-year-old was the 95th person to die after the disaster, clinging to life until three days after the horrific crush. Hours before he died, the Princess visited his bedside in Sheffield's Northern General hospital. Reds manager Kenny Dalglish also visited his ward to see Lee, from Bootle, and other victims the day before he lost his fight for life. His organs were donated by his family to help other children. STEVEN ROBINSON, 17 STEVEN Robinson was a real Jack the Lad, remembers his brother. One of five children, Steven, 17, was serving his apprenticeship as a bus mechanic when he died. "I've got happy memories of playing football together, hanging out and having a good laugh," says younger brother Peter Robinson. "Steven was a big fan of the football and I go every week now. At the match, it's like he's there with me. It reminds me of the good times. "It was a major loss, the same as for all the 96 families," says Peter. "I still think about him every single day." "But," he adds. "You have to think of the positives and find a way to get on with life." 

 

STEPHEN O'NEILL, 17 STEPEN O'Neill was 17 when he died at Hillsborough. His family said: "Life holds many blessings our Lord bestows them all, to have had you Stephen for a son was the greatest blessing of all. "We watched you as a child and wondered what the future would hold, little did we know that morning God was going to call your name. "In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same. "It broke our hearts to lose you, but you did not go alone. "For part of us went with you, the day God called you home. You left us happy memories, your love is still our guide. "And though we cannot see you, you are always by our side. "Our family loves you dearly what more words can we say, one day we will be with you on that great and beautiful day. "Our memory of your happy, smiling face will never fade, we loved and lost you, you can never be replaced. "All our love, hugs and kisses are sent to heaven above, God bless you Stephen, we just send you all our love. "Mum, dad, sister Lisa, Lee, Millie and Connor and all your loving family." JONATHON OWENS, 18 JONATHON Owens, gave his parents "18 unforgettable years", said dad John. "He was a gentle giant and that is how people will remember him most. "He was a lovely, lovely boy." 

 

GRAHAM ROBERTS, 24 GRAHAM Roberts was engaged to marry Sandra and was about to sign for their first house together. The 24-year-old worked for British Gas and many employees contacted his family in Wallasey after Hillsborough to tell them what a fair supervisor he had been. He was a keen fisherman and his dad discovered a mass of blue bottles in the garage, hatched from Graham's unused maggots, two months after he died. Sister Sue said: "If I was ever let down by friends and stuck in of a weekend, he'd insist I join him and his friends on their night out. "My parents have never got over losing their only son, and, like my dad, who passed away on March 3, Graham was always fair and willing to explain the reasons behind his opinions. "His fiancee and her family are all still very good friends of the family, which shows the extent of the unbreakable bond that has been made between us." 

 

WILLIAM PEMBERTON, 23 WILLIAM Roy Pemberton, 23, came from Hunts Cross. At the time, dad William said: "My boy - my man - was gentle, polite and genuinely popular. "He believed in doing to others as he would have done to himself." CARL RIMMER, 21 LIVERPOOL hardman Steve McMahon became a firm friend of the Rimmers after Hillsborough. The midfielder took them to a match at Anfield after the tragedy and friendship developed. Soon Macca and his wife were joining the Stockbridge Village family for meals in Southport. Five weeks after Carl, 21, died in Sheffield, the player attended his sister's wedding as his strong ties with the Rimmers continued. In 1989, Liverpool FC-mad Carl was working as TV video engineer and was engaged to get married to his girlfriend, Alex. Dad Eddie, 71, from Melling, says the family has never got involved with the various Hillsborough justice groups, but their close-knit nature has seen them through. He said: "We still cry and get upset. But then we start laughing when we remember one of his tricks like coming in drunk on a Saturday night. "He was a great lad, very thoughtful. He would go and buy a bottle of wine and a video for his mum on a Saturday night if I was out on the taxis. "From day one, we talked about losing Carl. We kept ourselves to ourselves, but we dealt with it. "We don't push it to the back of our mind. "Steve McMahon came down to our house and went with us to the ground. He was good to us. "We stayed in touch with him until he went off to Swindon. "Carl was the last person to come back from Sheffield. We scattered his ashes at Anfield after a little grave was dug in the Kop goalmouth. "He's a foot from the line, not far from where he used to stand, and when Liverpool need a goal we always say, 'Come on Carl, suck one in'." HENRY ROGERS, 17 

 

HENRY Charles Rogers was, his parents remember, "a wonderful son". "He was full of fun, athletic and loving," say Steve and Ronnie. "His bedroom was a reflection of his Liverpool allegiances - a masterpiece of the team colours." Henry, 17, went to the match with his older brother, Adam, and two friends. Hours later, Henry was dead. "I just wanted to shout at him to get up," Ronnie remembers of the moment she had to identify him in the gym that was a makeshift morgue. "He still looked like himself - he could have just been asleep." Six months later, Adam was buried alongside his brother after falling into a hyperglycaemic coma as a result of diabetes. "We always say he died with a broken heart," add Steve and Ronnie. "He was never really able to talk about what had happened at Hillsborough, but we know that he was very unhappy. "It remains a huge sadness and guilt that we were with neither of our sons as they died, to hold their hands to give them comfort and to say goodbye.We will always be grateful to the two lovely young men who came to our home in Dodleston, soon after Hillsborough, to tell us that they were with Henry as he passed away." "Our friends and family gave us so much support," adds Ronnie. "And we have lots of happy memories. "We've tried to make the best of our lives because we think that's what our children would have wanted and we wanted to make our daughter, Alex's, life as good as it could be. "We felt they'd want us to battle on." DAVE RIMMER, 38 DAVID George Rimmer, 38, came from Skelmersdale. His widow Linda said: "Dave touched the hearts of so many people during his 38 years. "He loved Liverpool and was a great family man. He would be so proud of his son Paul and daughter Kate and their achievements. "He left a huge hole in our family which can never be repaired 

 

ANDREW SEFTON, 23 ANDREW Sefton was known for his wicked sense of humour. "He was a very funny young man," remembers his sister, Julie Fallon. "He was very dry, very witty. "There's even a funny story behind his name. On the memorial, he's Colin Andrew Hugh William Sefton. "He's got so many names because my mum had already chosen Andrew, but when she got to the church for his christening, she was so overwhelmed with guilt that she hadn't named him after his dad, Colin, that she gave him that name as well, along with both his grandads' names. "When he was getting told off, he'd get the full title." Andrew, 23, had only moved from home in Skelmersdale a year before the disaster. "He was living and working in Weston-Super- Mare, but he'd come home on the weekend of the match." Andrew wasn't even a Liverpool supporter, remembers Julie. "He was a Tottenham fan, but his friends wanted to go to the match at Hillsborough and he had a car, so he drove them. "Gary Mabbutt, who played for Spurs at the time, came to Andrew's funeral. "Andrew always said that Gary had a gorgeous pair of legs and if he was a woman he'd marry him just for the legs." "After Hillsborough, our focus became my daughter, Maria," says Julie. "She was only a few weeks old at the time, so she's as old as Hillsborough. She marks the passing of time, really." Julie recalls that her mum, Teri, was very active on the Hillsborough committee. "She was actually the treasurer on the original committee. But her health was bad after Hillsborough. "It finished her off, really, because it wasn't just the event, it was the whole aftermath as well. She died five years ago - she was only 64." But Julie adds that the freedom of the city is "fantastic". "It's a recognition of what we fought for. My dad is so proud." 

 

INGER SHAH, 38 ITWAS after the Heysel tragedy in 1985 that London woman Inger Shah decided she should start supporting Liverpool. Her daughter, Becky, said: "When my mum was a teenager in Denmark, you could watch Leeds or Liverpool. "After Heysel, she decided Liverpool had taken too much of a hammering. So we went to our first game in 1985." The love of the Reds soon spiralled and the Golders Green family began to travel to the city from the capital to go to Anfield home games. Becky said: "She was very lively, a really good sense of humour, sociable who could discuss anything with anyone and a kind-hearted person. "She made people aware of Live Aid and was very well read. She was the most fantastic mother." The day before the semi-final, Inger, 38, begged her daughter to travel to Sheffield. But because she had plans that weekend, Becky decided not to go and her brother, then 13, travelled with his mum. Now in Walthamstow, she added: "My brother survived as he was standing in a different place to my mum. "They went with a friend who was a big bloke and managed to shield him from the crush." Inger worked as a secretary at the Royal Free Hospital, in west London, and she was a mother-of-two. 

 

PAULA SMITH, 26 PAULA Smith, 26, came from Clubmoor. BrotherWally, speaking a week after the tragedy, said: "Liverpool was her life.We went everywhere together, we were close friends and she knows how much we loved her and missed her." PHILIP STEELE, 15 PHILIP Steele, 15, never saw bad in anyone, says his mum, Dolores. The teenager attended Christ the King school in Southport and was an altar boy at St John Stone Church, in the town. His mum said: "Philip was a quiet and quite shy boy and Liverpool FC mad. We went to the home games. "Philip sat with me on the Anfield Road with his brother and dad just in front of us. "He was thinking of going into banking and loved his music and reading. He was a typical boy. "You kind of find another way to live your life. We've had lots of support from family and friends and the Hillsborough Family Support Group. STUART THOMPSON, 17 STUART Thompson was 17 and good friends with Kevin Williams, who also died at Hillsborough. The pair would go to the match together as they lived yards from each other's front doors. Brother Martin remembered: "He was a quiet lad but everyone around here respected him. "He will be fondly remembered by us all." PAT THOMPSON, 35 PATRICK Thompson was known as a gentle giant. The 35-year-old dad-of-five had travelled to Yorkshire with his two brothers. He was a season ticket holder who went to the famous Reds nights in Rome and Paris, and was in Belgium at the Heysel tragedy. At a strapping 6ft 4ins, his heartbroken wife, Kathleen, said at the time that he lived for his family. At Hillsborough, Pat's brother Kevin had to be given the kiss of life by a policeman; he survived the disaster 

 

KEVIN TYRRELL, 15 KEVIN Tyrrell, 15, was on the verge of a football career when he died at Hillsborough. He was on trial for Tranmere Rovers and hoping to sign on as an apprentice after leaving school. The Runcorn teenager was a pupil at Brookvale Comprehensive and played for local side Greenbridge Athletic. Dad Frank said: "Football was the biggest thing for Kevin, he loved it. "He had been to Anfield many times, but this was his first away match." Tranmere manager John King paid tribute at the time, describing Kevin as a "talented, whole-hearted lad". 

 

PETER THOMPSON, 30 PETER Thompson was an electronic engineer who worked all over the world. The 30-year-old was married to Linda and his daughter, Nikki, was born four months after the tragedy. He lived in Widnes, attended West Park school in St Helens and was the eldest of three brothers who got on together "like mates". Mum Marie said: "We are really proud to have him as a son and thank God for the time we had with him. "He was a fantastic brother and husband, and would have been a great dad to his daughter." 

 

ADAM SPEARRITT, 14 ADAM Spearritt, 14, was known as The Little Poacher on the football field for his habit of scoring goals for Bridge Athletic, his club in Runcorn. A Liverpool supporter from an early age, he learned how to count by memorising the numbers on the back of the football shirts as his mum washed them at home. Mum Janet said: "Darling Adam, 20 years since the day you left home with your dad, I remember you full of excitement and anticipation, your first away match saying, 'dad, they're warning people to watch out for pickpockets'. "If only that had been the worst thing to have happened. "Did you enjoy the lovely drive over the Pennines in the bright spring sunshine laughing and joking all the way? "Were you worried when you saw the crowds at the turnstiles? But then relaxed when your dad said, 'We'll just stand here at the side until it eases off, it won't matter if we miss the start.' "Should we have moved on? How could we when those to blame didn't have the courage to stand up and own up, but heaped blame on yourselves and the fans who tried so hard to save lives, ferrying injured the length of the pitch to be given help, although only a handful of you were taken to hospital, the same fans who were tarnished with obscene headlines by a certain newspaper. "Some of the police did their best on the day, and for that they have our thanks, like the special constable who found a faint pulse in you, went with you to hospital and stayed a while with you after you died. "As for the others, let's hope we are a constant thorn in their sides. "Love and miss you Adam, your Mum." MARTIN KEVIN TRAYNOR, 16 

 

CHRISTOPHER TRAYNOR, 26 DAVID THOMAS, 23 BROTHERS Kevin and Chris Traynor and their friend, Dave Thomas, died together after fatefully splitting from other friends outside the ground to get some fish and chips. A devoted Kopite, 16-year-old Kevin had joked he would be celebrating a Wembley triumph on his 17th birthday - May 20. Chris, 26, had been married to Liz for less than two years. Kevin and Chris's parents, Jim and Joan, who still live in Gorsefield Road, Birkenhead, later learned that selfless Chris, shortly before he died, had saved the life of another man on the terraces: "It was his last good deed," said his proud mum. Mr and Mrs Traynor also have two other sons, John, 50, and Paul, 41 and a daughter, Theresa, 51. Mother-of-two Theresa had suffered triple tragedy, as she lost her Army husband, John, in a road accident in Germany two years before brothers Kevin and Chris died at Hillsborough. All four Traynor boys grew up to be joiners - Kevin, at just 16, was an apprentice joiner, which was a source of great pride to John, the eldest. Dave Thomas, a self-employed builder, of Moorland Road, in Higher Tranmere, was looking forward to the birth of his first child - and tying the knot with his fiancee, Helen Jones. Helen was two months pregnant at the time of Hillsborough. Later, she had to change her surname to Thomas by deed poll to ensure her unborn child could have her father's name. Dave and Helen's daughter, now 19-year-old Debbie Thomas, is today a mum, herself - to a 17-month-old daughter, Taylor Thomas-Piercy (a story featured in ECHO Real lastWednesday). Debbie, of Maybank Road, Birkenhead, said: "I will make sure Taylor knows all about her grandad." 

 

KEVIN WILLIAMS, 15 ANNE Williams is still fighting for justice for her son Kevin, 15. The 68-year-old recently had her case rejected by the European Court of Human Rights, but is still calling for a new inquest into his death. Anne is challenging the official ruling that the victims were dead or brain dead by 3.15pm after suffering "traumatic asphyxia". The Chester woman claims her son was still alive at 4pm as he was seen breathing and with a pulse. A woman police officer who cradled Kevin even stated the boy cried out for his mum after 3.15pm. It took Anne two years to find Steve Hart, one of the men who had carried her son's stricken body across the pitch on a makeshift stretcher. The Kirkby man, now 49, said: "I managed to get over the fence, and I was walking around the pitch in a daze when I saw a lad lying there. "We ripped up the advertising hoarding and said, 'Let's get this kid down the other end'. He was definitely alive. He was the same colour as you or I. The police were just standing on the halfway line looking at us. "We thought he was in the right place and would be looked after. But we should have stayed with him." In March, Steve and Anne returned to Hillsborough together, and he remembers: "Anne had never gone and I'd sworn never to return, but I agreed to go with her. "We went into the stadium, through the main stand and to the Leppings Lane. But I couldn't go down the tunnel." Anne, who lived in Formby at the time of Hillsborough, said: "I don't know what will happen now. "I've been knocked back so many times. It's too big for the British courts. They won't deal with it. "I'd love to sit down with a barrister in my bedroom and work out what could be portrayed in a drama." 

 

COLIN WAFER, 19 OUT of the 96 who died at Hillsborough, Colin Wafer lived closest to Liverpool's Anfield stadium. The night before going to Sheffield, the 19-year-old had been at the Supporters Club for a friend's 21st birthday. His family took a picture of Colin that night at the party, the last photo of him, which they still treasure. The teenager, who had an older brother, Ian, and younger sister, Lisa, went to De La Salle School in Croxteth and left to work for the TSB bank in Park Road, Toxteth. He worked as a barman in the Dockers Club, at Edinburgh Park, and played snooker at Frames, on Cherry Lane. The semi-final was his first away match and he travelled to Sheffield on his own. Dad Jimmy, 65, said: "Colin was outgoing and had loads of friends. The whole family are big Liverpool fans. "It took me 10 years to go back there and when I did it was as a steward at the Legends lounge - they were good to me up there. "Colin's case was going to be a test case for a private prosecution, but I had to put down pounds 50,000 as a deposit which we couldn't afford. "We still went across to Leeds every day when the trial for the private prosecutions was taking place. "People think you are always looking for sympathy, but that's not the case. The thing that gets me is nobody accepted responsibility. "Trevor Hicks and Phil Hammond {Hillsborough Family Support Group} did a brilliant job. "We still have Colin's ashes as Rita didn't want them scattering until she went." 

 

IAN WHELAN, 19 IAN Whelan was a football fanatic who lived only to see his heroes parade their soccer talents across the country. He was nicknamed Ronnie by his mates, after his footballing idol, Ronnie Whelan, whose career he followed from the day he pulled on the famous Red shirt. Dad Wilf said, at the time of the tragedy: "All his mates knew him as Ronnie. "Ian followed Ronnie's career all the way at Liverpool. "He was his favourite player." Ian, from Padgate, Warrington, was 19 when he died. A lifelong Liverpudlian, he had been a season ticket holder on the Kop for three years. "Ian always travelled to see Liverpool whenever he could," said Wilf. At the time, Wilf Whelan described the family as "devastated" at the loss of Ian, who worked at BNFL's Risley plant."WHEN you made friends with Peter, you made a mate for life," is how mum Joan remembers her son. The 21-year-old was very close to his family, and while he had his own flat, he was often round at his mum's in Everton. A former pupil at Our Lady Immaculate, he loved football and "pumping iron". Joan, 62, said: "Everyone idolised him and he was a second dad to his sister, Amanda, who's now 36. "I'm not good at dealing with things, I can get depressed and I feel for the kids, Barry and Amanda. "I've got family who understand what I'm going through, but I've never had a full night's sleep in 20 years. "I will never forgive those in charge. We practically killed ourselves going all over the place fighting for justice. "But we just hit brick walls." 

 

MARTIN WILD, 29 MARTIN Wild, 29, came from New Mills, Derbyshire. A week after Hillsborough, dad Kenneth said: "We saw a lot of sadness that day. Martin was a very happy-go-lucky sort of person. "He would not have hurt anybody." GRAHAM WRIGHT, 17 GRAHAM Wright was getting ready to contest his black belt in karate when he died at Hillsborough. His karate club presented the 17-year-old's family with the belt after the tragedy with a plaque with the teenager's name on it. As his trainer affectionately told his parents: "He would have definitely passed anyway." Graham came from Huyton and was a pupil at St Augustine's School. At the time of the tragedy, he was working at Swinton Insurance, in Prescot, and was in a steady relationship with girlfriend Janet. Dad George said: "Graham was an ordinary teenager who was friendly and had plenty of pals. "His mum, Beryl, died four years ago after she got cancer. It was hard for her as she thought the world of him. "I felt very down about the lies that came out about Hillsborough. They were made to look like hooligans, which they weren't. "My son was a fun person to be around and is sadly missed."

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Read about 5 paragraphs of that and it was hard going. Welling up. An absolute fucking travesty that something like that was allowed to happen, and utterly fucking disgusting that any one single person or media outlet would chose to exploit the situation for whatever petty little agenda they had.

 

RIP the 96

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Guest Pistonbroke

RIP. Also kudos to all those affected and yet despite the lies showed humility throughout, a credit to the City, club and most importantly to the loved ones they lost.

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I hate this day.

 

It's always a sad day. Still with hints of anger too.

 

And questions too.

 

Why? How did this happen? How was this allowed to happen? Why have so many preventable deaths been classed as accidents? Dropping a glass of milk is an accident, 96 people dying at a football match surely isn't an accident? How could the people who should've saved these people be involved in a fraud that blackened their memories? Why do people still blame the innocents? Why's it took so long for answers?

 

Lots of whys.

 

And I say that as somebody not directly affected by that day. I was 11 at the time. I knew, from word of mouth, a few people who went from my local neighbourhood. As I went to secondary school, I became friends with somebody who lost a cousin there. Then, in later life, I worked with a bloke in his 50s, salt of the earth bloke, amiable and chatty, who went. He'd talk about anything. But not much about that day. He got as far as revealling that he didn't even get into the stands. He was involved in the crush outside and got out of it and waited for it all to die down. But he said he just knew that something bad was happening. He saw some things he doesn't want to talk about.

 

So, if it's a painful and sad day for us people who didn't go to the game, didn't lose anybody close to us etc, I can't even begin to imagine how it still plays on the minds of those who attended, observed things they should never see at a football match, those who survived and got pulled out of that horribly packed, broken and twisted pen.

 

I can't begin to imagine how it feels for the bereaved. They're working class heroes. And, that's something to be.

 

It's because they continued to ask these questions and never backed down that we're where we are right now. And for that, I salute them. They've done their loved ones proud.

 

Finality. Answers. They're coming. It won't bring the lost ones back, but it'll give these people a degree of closure. At last. 27 years later.

 

Will it bring "justice"? Justice is a wide ranging concept. People might not go to prison. But, there can still be justice. Accountability. Being told that your loved ones death wasn't an accident. Being able to look idiots who still play the blame game in the face and categorically tell them "No. You're wrong."

 

And, just a slight chance that these poor people can finally move on with their lives.

 

It's the least they deserve. And it's got to be coming. Surely?

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