Hillsborough – the 97 remembered: Graham Roberts

This article is part of a special project from The Athletic remembering the lives of some of those Liverpool supporters who died in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, told through the words of their loved ones. A link to other pieces in the series — which are all free to read — is at the bottom of this article.

Sue Roberts asked The Athletic to use the pen picture of her brother, Graham, which she read at the 2014 inquest as the basis of this article.

Graham John Roberts had everything to live for.

“During our school days, Graham was a protective big brother,” said his younger sister, Sue Roberts. “He would look out for me and it was always a great comfort for me to know he was around. On starting work, he informed me out of the blue he was going to give me pocket money.

“He was only 14 months older than me and I still think it was such a lovely and thoughtful thing to do. Sometimes I would have to earn my money, though.

“He’d send me to collect and return his videos and occasionally he’d drag me out of bed to make tea and toast for him and his friends with the threat that, if I didn’t, he’d stop my pocket money. I have to confess, though, it was never really a chore, as I quite liked his friends anyway.”

Maybe it was that caring nature that made him so popular. Sue remembers the leaders of Graham’s cub and scout group asking if he would consider becoming a leader himself: Sue is sure the answer would have been yes, “once he was married and settled in his first home”.

GO DEEPER

Life after Hillsborough, told by the men and women who survived

Graham – who had risen to the role of engineering supervisor with British Gas despite being only 24 – never got the chance to live that life. Instead, he travelled to Hillsborough on April 15, 1989, for an FA Cup semi-final and never returned: all that potential, all those ambitions, snuffed out, along with those of 96 others on that dreadful day.

Sue is now left with just memories of her brother: of the fishing trips Graham would go on with his friends, when he was usually the one to get up and make everyone breakfast so they were ready for the day ahead.

“Graham liked freshwater fishing,” she recalled. “He had also tried sea fishing once or twice, but got so seasick that he had to lie down in the middle of the boat, so he never really took to that.”

Of course, Graham also loved football. He was a Liverpool season ticket holder and stood on the Kop. He played for his school, cubs and scouts and then his work teams. He also loved snooker, even having a quarter-sized table in the family home, on which he and his friends would play tournaments. Wallasey Scouts have an annual football competition named after him which started shortly after the Hillsborough Disaster and still runs to this day.

Graham was not only loved by his sister and his parents (who have sadly now passed away), but also by the family he was supposed to join. He was engaged to Sandra Hattersley and they were due to be married in the summer of 1990.

The Roberts family (from left): mum Daphne, Graham, Sue and father Stan (Photo courtesy of Sue Roberts)

“Sandra and Graham had received a letter on the morning of April 15, 1989, advising that the estate agents had the contract for their house ready for them to sign, but sadly, when Sandra pleaded with Graham not to go to the game so that they could go and sign for the house, he just laughed,” Sue said.

“He said it was the semi-final and that they could sign for the house on Monday instead.”

Graham was close friends with Sandra’s brothers-in-law, Rod Sheldon and Paul Dunderdale, who were both at Hillsborough that day in 1989.

“To this day, Paul is like an older brother to me. We never became in-laws, so he says we’re ‘outlaws’. Paul, Rod and all of Sandra’s family, her mum Ena, her late dad, Ronnie, both her sisters, Linda and Sue, and also her aunts, uncles and cousins were all looking forward to welcoming Graham, our mum and dad and me into their family.

“I believe it is out of respect and our mutual love for Graham that we are all still as close as family today.”

Graham would have been 59 this year. In 1989, a new church was built near the Roberts family home: the uniformed organisations’ flag holder stands inside it and is dedicated to Graham and the 96 other victims of Hillsborough. Graham’s was the first funeral held in the new church.

“I was and always will be proud to have had him as my big brother. Not only did we lose Graham on April 15, 1989, but all our lives changed forever, too,” Sue said.

“Both my parents are now reunited with their beloved son, which sadly, since his death, was all they ever wanted.”

To read the other articles in our series, Hillsborough – the 97 remembered, click on the links below:

(Top photo design by Eamonn Dalton)