SIR JIM RATCLIFFE and Dave Brailsford were among the attendees at Tuesday’s Munich Air Disaster memorial service.
The new Manchester United chiefs paid their respects to the passengers who tragically lost their lives in the 1958 crash at Munich-Riem Airport this afternoon.
Ratcliffe – who acquired a 25 per cent stake in his boyhood club last December – joined club legend Sir Alex Ferguson underneath the plaque commemorating those who lost their lives in the disaster at 2:40pm.
Current manager and team captain Erik ten Hag and Bruno Fernandes paid their respects.
They were joined by their counterparts from Manchester United’s women’s’ team – Marc Skinner and Katie Zelem.
Club heroes Brian Kidd and Paddy Crerand – who won the European Cup under Sir Matt Busby ten years after the disaster – also attended.
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The touching service was led by United’s former chaplain Reverand John Boyers.
It included several readings, poems and songs before a two-minute silence at 15:04 – the exact time of the fateful crash.
The traditional singing of ‘The Flowers of Manchester’ ended the silence.
Twenty-three passengers lost their lives when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on the runway on its third failed attempted takeoff.
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Eight players and three club staff members tragically perished in the crash.
Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Geoff Bent, Liam Whelan and Duncan Edwards all lost their lives.
Club secretary Walter Crickmer also died in the crash along with trainer Tom Curry and coach Bert Whalley.
Eight journalists also died in the crash, which also claimed the lives of plane captain Ken Rayment and Busby’s friend Willie Satinoff.
One crew member Tom Cable and travel agent Bela Miklos also died.
Miraculously, 12 passengers survived the crash – including Busby and the late Sir Bobby Charlton.
A memorial service also took place in Munich this afternoon near the crash venue.
Former United players Mike Phelan and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were the club’s representatives at the service organised by the Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation.
Phelan, additionally, paid respects on behalf of the club to the recently deceased Franz Beckenbauer – laying a wreath at the Germany icon’s grave.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
