Munich Remembered

The Busby Babes fell prey to the Munich Air Disaster

The Busby Babes still live ...but only in our hearts

I wish I'd gone down
Gone down with them

"The Flowers Of Manchester" as we remember them ,seized to live after one cold,bitter Thursday in Munich, Germany.It was nothing short of a disaster and coerced millions around the world to shed a tear .After being unbeaten for 11 games running,the famous Manchester United side faced a relatively tricky trip to Belgrade in the then Yugoslavia .But no one never knew what fortunes were inevitable for the respected men in Red.

The game in Yugoslavia did turn out to be tough but Matt Busby's men held on till the very end and scraped out 1 point from the trip after the game concluded as 3-3.And hours later the European Airways flight 609 roared into action and Busby's men ,in pursuit of becoming the third club to win three successive League titles,were heading back to Manchester.Before travelling to the East of Europe,some players had admitted that they weren't confident flyers but also commented that "This may be death,but I'm ready".On board United   stars which included Duncan Edwards,Tommy Taylor and Roger Byrne,had to wait for an hour for the flight to take off ,as right winger Johnny Berry had misplaced his passport.But,finally at around 11:45 AM GMT,they took flight and obscured themselves into the windy and cloudy skies of Belgrade.

But,on reaching Munich Airport,Germany co-pilot Kenneth Rayment reported that the 609 engine required refueling and they will touch down at Munich-Reim Airport as soon as they reach Munich.The aircraft succeeded in refueling at the Reim Airport and the players were ready to be transported to Manchester.But,the take-off from the runway failed twice,owing to some problem with boost surging,as reported by Station Manager Bill Black.But,the plane was ready to take off into the gusty skies of Munich the third time.

On being ready to take flight again after two previous failed attempts,co-pilot Kenneth Rayment moved the craft throttle slowly and released the brakes as the plane began to accelerate forward.As the plane gathered speed,it threw up slush and traveled at a rate of 10 knots increments.As the velocity touched 85 knots,the plane commenced to surge and Rayment pulled the throttle back slowly and pushed it forwards again.Once the velocity reached 117 knots,the other crew members announced that it was no longer safe to abort takeoff and Rayment braced up for the velocity to touch 220 knots(suitable for taking off).But,the snag accentuated and the velocity fluctuated around 117 knots,Cries of panic rang out through the cockpit as Rayment,who was frozen in fear exclaimed"Christ,we wont make it!" as others gazed forwards to see what lay ahead.

The plane skewed off the runway and crashed into the airport's fence as the first wing fell out,pulverized.And as it cannoned into the house beside the fence,the plane's tail fell off after ramming into a tree.The right side of the fuselage hit a wooden hut as the tyres and fuel exploded violently.On fearing that the craft would explode,the management staff did wonders to save more than 10 lives on board.

In the remains were promises that never came..

Captain Kenneth did survive after the crash but expired as a result of serious brain damage.Matt Busby also survived the violent ordeal but died in 1994 ,star players Roger Byrne,Tommy Taylor,Liam Whelan,Geoff Bent,Eddie Colman,Mark Jones and David Pegg couldn't live after the crash and died on the spot.Bobby Charlton did survive and still survives along with Harry Gregg who are still dubbed as United Legends.

The ordeal did force many to give away their condolences but the the Great Busbies never gave their fellow United faithfuls reasons to cry.So,on the day of 6th February,2014 lets recall those heroes of the past who never ever gave up till the very end and those who give us an appropriate inspiration to do achieve wonders and do good for others before one turns to dust. 

I wish I'd gone down

Gone down with them