When You Walk Through the Storm Book

On April 15, 1989, 96 football fans tragically perished following events at Hillsborough. One of the Liverpool supporters to lose their life was 15-year-old Kevin Williams. In the years after that fateful day Anne Williams, Kevin's mother, has fought a long and often despairing battle to uncover the truth about the events of that day and the last hours of her son's life. Her story is inherently a sad and personal one and, as one would expect, much thought is given to the subject of bereavement and reflection on the unjust and nature of the tragedy. Yet Williams also has an individual story to tell and touches all the important points of the controversy which ensued. The blame for the tragedy is not apportioned neatly, but is more than gently pushed in one direction. Williams points to the police force as the culprits. As Lord Justice Taylor's report pointed out, a number of gross errors of judgement were made. Nonetheless, as the evidence that the witnesses subsequently met by Williams show, it is hard to lay the responsibility at the door of members of a single group. One can only receive the impression that there were many who suffered in Sheffield that day from all the different groups involved. It is the testimony of the police officers, ambulance workers and members of the public involved which best portray the true horror of the events. Their sense of helplessness is apparent, as are the effects that day has had on them for the rest of their lives. Of course, for Wiiliams, the story is also a study on the often seemingly unfair nature of the British judicial system. She seems destined never to get the bottom of her struggle. Yet, convinced and apparently armed with evidence that Kevin's life could have been saved, her battle for justice continues. --Trevor CroweRead More