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THE MUNICH AIR crash that cruelly cut down Manchester United’s Busby Babes in their prime has enormous significance for the club’s players and fans even 60 years on from that fateful day.
United are holding a commemorative service at Old Trafford today, which will include readings and poems ahead of a minute’s silence at 3.04pm, marking the time of the plane crash six decades ago.
The ill-fated aircraft was bringing Matt Busby’s youthful team back via Munich from Belgrade on 6 February 1958 after they had reached the European Cup semi-finals.
The plane crashed on its third take-off attempt in icy weather, costing the lives of eight players and three members of the club’s staff. Twenty-three people died in total.
Bobby Charlton and Harry Gregg are the only survivors out of the group of players who lived through the crash.
“The day that is absolutely shown in red on this week’s calendar is on Tuesday, a day that marks the 60th anniversary of the air disaster,” Spanish forward Juan Mata wrote in his blog on United’s website.
The victims will never be forgotten, they will always be remembered and will be a part of United’s history forever. The passion, determination and courage shown by the club to carry on in those horrible moments have left an indelible mark forever.
Marcus Rashford, who follows in United’s proud tradition of blooding young, homegrown players, said he learned about the disaster as a young child.
“It was when I was about seven or eight,” the 20-year-old striker told United Review.
“There were already little things about it around [the club] at that age, but then you start to learn more about it, and when you got to 15 or 16, that was when [former academy coach] Paul McGuinness really started to bring it to our attention,” he said.
“We used to watch a lot of the videos of games, especially from their FA Youth Cup runs, so we could see footage of what these players were like when they were young. It’s so close to home, it touches your heart and helps you understand it, even though you weren’t there.”
Fans remember
John Valentine, who sells scarves outside Old Trafford, said the Munich crash is “ingrained in the history of this club”.
“If I come back in another 500 years it will still be being talked about,” said Valentine, born in the year of the disaster.
“You can’t forget something like that – a team nearly wiped out in a plane crash.”
Among the eight who died, the player most revered is half-back Duncan Edwards, who survived the crash but succumbed to his injuries two weeks later.
“I missed out on those players but I have spoken to people who did and they talk about Duncan Edwards,” said Valentine, who sells a scarf with the words ‘They shall never die’ with the images of the eight who perished.
Valentine says the fact around 2,000 United fans are due to go to Munich for the anniversary shows how important the events of February 1958 still are, even to the young.
Kion Brown, who was at Old Trafford with his father and fellow diehard United fan Everton on the day of his ninth birthday last week, reflected how it resonates even with youngsters, even though little footage remains of the Babes.
“I keep him [Kion] up to date and brought him to see the [memorial] clock and see all the players who died. It is a big day for us,” 35-year-old Everton told AFP.
Busby, who was twice given the last rites by a priest, remarkably survived the crash and guided United to an emotional win in the European Cup 10 years later with Charlton captaining the side and scoring twice.
“That was like the Holy Grail for the club. Because of the crash in 1958 Busby wanted the cup for those boys who perished and the club,” said Valentine.
“And we got it as well!”
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Billy Whelan, from Dublin, died in the crash. Only 22, he played for Home Farm before going to United.
@Tony Tobin: scoring an incredible 52 goals in 98 games, imagine what he would become in years to come. Huge loss to United and Ireland.
@Tony Tobin: was he from cabra
@FlopFlipU: Yes. Attracta Road?
RIP from a Kopite (not that it should matter)
You’ll Never Walk Alone
@Shaun Gallagher: fun fact , old Trafford was the first football ground to sing your never walk alone ,then when united played Celtic in a friendly the hoops liked it so much they started singing it and then Liverpool took it on after playing Celtic a season or 2 later
@Danny E: he is a pool fam showing his respect
Fair play Shaun.
@Colm Connolly: It’s been sung by Liverpool fans since Gerry and the Pacemakers released the song in 1963. Simples.
@Tony Tobin: the song was released in the 40s as part of a musical.. and was sung in OT first.. it wasn’t an attempt to get a dig in, it was a fun fact..
it was sung in OT following the Munich air disaster, and was then adopted by other clubs.
@Ben L: The song came from the show Carousel – by Rodgers and Hammerstein – which came out at the end of WWII. It was sung extensively by demobbing soldiers and sailors at numerous English football grounds – and by other fans. But when Gerry Ramsden (who still sings it) released it with the Pacemakers in 1963, it became the LFC anthem – and still is, today.
@Tony Tobin: It’s also sung by the supporters of Feyenoord, 1860 Munich, Celtic, FC Tokyo, Dortmund, Scotland – and many other teams, in different sports.
@Tony Tobin: Gerry Marsden not Ramsden. He did not sell fish and chips.
Rest in Peace Busby’s Babes Y.N.W.A
In 1988 on the 30th anniversary man utd were playing and liam O’Brien scored their winning goal at 4 minutes past 3. True
There was a great piece on Newstalk on Sunday about this, on Off The Ball I think. An Interview with Harry Greg, a survivor of the crash. It’s probably on playback
@Dermot Lane: RTE radio did one on Sunday. Excellent piece.
@Barry Ward: actually, maybe it was RTE I had on now I think of it.
Honest question to Liverpool fans, why does the Heysel Stadium disaster rarely get a mention even on its anniversary
@Kevin Mannion: Ask a Sea lion maybe.
@Kevin Mannion: No English died and the country’s clubs were banned from European competitions?!
@Kevin Mannion: think it might be because Juve took it so badly
YNWA Busby Babes
@Royston Fitzpatrick: why?
Y.N.W.A Busby Babes
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