A key figure in the fight for justice after the Hillsborough disaster has died, the campaign group has announced.
Phil Hammond, whose teenage son was killed in the tragedy, was remembered as a “very kind, fair, honest and humble man” by members of the Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG) which Hammond chaired, battling for truth and justice over how his son and 96 others died.
In 1989, his son Philip, 14, was killed in the disastrous crush at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield that resulted in the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans in an FA Cup semi-final match against Nottingham Forest.
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Phil Hammond,” the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance wrote on X. “Reunited with his son Philip. Our thoughts are with his family and everyone who knew him.”
Liverpool FC said: “All at LFC are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Phil Hammond.”
In an interview with the Guardian in 2012, Hammond said David Cameron’s apology to families over the failure of authorities – to protect people, attempt to blame fans and cast doubt on the original coroner’s inquest – was the first they had from anyone in government for 23 years.
“I’m glad we have come to where we are now, that the country finally understands the truth and what the families were fighting for. We do now feel that those responsible should be brought to justice. But it has taken a very big part of my life,” he said.
On the day of the match, Hammond was at home watching snooker when it was interrupted by a BBC report on the unfolding turmoil at Hillsborough. He recalled an inexplicable “gut feeling” that his son was in trouble. The semi-final was his son’s first away match watching Liverpool.
In 2016, an inquest into the disaster found the 96 who died in 1989 were unlawfully killed and a catalogue of failings by police and the ambulance services contributed to their deaths. Of those who died, 37 were teenagers, most still at school. Twenty-six of the dead were parents.
Andrew Devine died in 2021, and the coroner at his inquest ruled that he was the 97th person unlawfully killed at Hillsborough.
The landmark inquest, which was an extraordinary victory for the families, came 27 years after the disaster. In that time, family members had suffered, many had become ill and some had died. Hammond, then HFSG chair, banged his head on an office shelf in 2008, and suffered a near fatal brain haemorrhage. His wife, Hilda, gave up her work as a nurse to support him.
Louise Brookes, whose brother Andrew Mark Brookes died at the disaster, said she was extremely saddened by the news. “A very kind, fair, honest and humble man,” she said on X. “Now reunited with his son Phil.”
A Liverpool city council spokesperson described Hammond as a “lovely man”, adding “his role in the fight for truth and justice over the Hillsborough disaster will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.”
Hammond is survived by his wife, Hilda, and his son Graeme.
Article by:Source – Geneva Abdul
