An exhibition marking the centenary of the Tipton Tragedy to raise funds for the Burns Unit
To mark the centenary of one of the Black Country’s greatest tragedies artist Chris Hardy staged an exhibition as a tribute to the 19 girls who lost their lives in the Tipton Catastrophe.
On 6 March 1922 one of the most horrific incidents that has ever happened in the Black Country occurred, in which 19 teenage girls lost their lives. An explosion ensued at Knowles' workshop whilst the workers were dismantling rifle cartridges; one cartridge inexplicably went off igniting several thousand others. Out of the 24 workers present, 19 sadly died, some after suffering dreadful injuries and burning.
When speaking about this event, Chris Hardy said: “I am extremely grateful to Tipton Community Centre for giving me space to exhibit my work as I wanted to mark the centenary in the town where this tragedy occurred.
What happened to these girls should not be forgotten, and I hope visitors will reflect on how supposedly ordinary lives are still being affected by such incidents today.”
One of the dresses at the exhibition
Chris has spent 12 years of her life dedicated to putting together this exhibition to remember this tragedy that befell the Black Country. There appears to be little knowledge of this heart-breaking disaster outside of the Black Country, so Chris wanted to pay tribute to the lives lost and take the opportunity to remind us that industrial tragedies involving exploited workers can still occur worldwide.
The exhibition featured paintings, sculptures and text, and included 19 oversized yellow dresses, one for each of the girls who lost their lives.
The exhibition raised an incredible £770 for the Burns Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. The money raised will help benefit patients and families who are affected by these types of injuries, as well as staff who work tirelessly on this unit. Dave Watson, UHB Charity’s Patient Advocate, went along to see the exhibition and to accept the amount raised.
If you would like to support the Burns Unit yourself, you can do so by specifying 'Burns Unit' when making a donation here.
