Other Sports

Magic of the Busby Babes came to the most tragic end

February 10th, 2009
by Weeshie Fogarty

February 6, 1958. 2.20pm. A date and time that forever remains etched in the memory. That fateful day 51 years ago last Friday when the greater part of the highly talented Manchester United team effectionaly known as "The Busby Babes" was wiped out as their British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on a the snow covered Munich runway.

It was a disaster that should never have happened. Captain James Thain and co-pilot Kenneth Rayment attempted to take off twice, but had to abandon both attempts due to boost surging in the port engine. Fearing that they would get too far behind schedule they decided against an overnight stay in the German city in favour of a third take-off attempt.

The consequences of their decision were catastrophic. By the time they raced down the runway for the third time it had begun to snow, causing a layer of slush to build up at the end of the runway. When the aircraft hit the slush it lost velocity, making take-off impossible. The plane ploughed through a fence before the port wing hit a house and was torn off.

Of the 44 people on the aircraft, 21 were killed instantly and several others were knocked unconscious. In all, 23 of the 44 people aboard the aircraft died. Whenever that dreadful day is discussed it is known as The Munich Air Disaster. Eight of the Manchester United first team were killed. Geoff Bent, Rodger Byrne, Eddie Coleman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan and probably the greatest of the all, Duncan Edwards. Edwards survived the crash, but died in hospital 15 days later.

The previous April 1957 I had fallen in love with "The Babes". My late brother Jimmy had taken the boat to England where he joined my two sisters who were nursing in the Manchester Royal Infirmary. I took my first trip outside Killarney and Ireland to spend a week in their company; emigration was also on my mind. I made sure that my trip would take in a visit to Old Trafford, home of Man Utd.

Jimmy somehow had got his hands on two tickets, not easily done because it was a massive occasion that April day 49 long years ago. United, or better still "The Babes", were playing the aristocrats of the game, the mighty Real Madrid. (Real won five consecutives Europeans Cups from 1956 to 1960).

This was the second leg of the European Cup. Real Madrid had won the first leg at home 3-1. It was a memorable occasion. The place was packed, 65,000 mostly United supporters and the atmosphere was electric. We were sandwiched in at the old Stretford end. It was all standing room only then and the stadium was completely unrecognisable from the "Theatre of Dreams" we know today. The game finished in a 2-2 draw.

Madrid, those legends of the game, were dressed all in white, like the Kildare GAA team. Kopa, Rial, Di Stefano, Mateos, Gento. United had all those boys who later died in the Munich crash as well as my hero Harry Gregg (the goalkeeper) and Bobby Charlton who scored a cracker of a goal that night and later survived the crash.

Basketball was booming in Kerry. I palled around with sports mad friends. Lui Nolan, Mick O'Sullivan, Donie Courtney, Jimmy O'Leary and Nolie O'Connor. We decided to form our own basketball team. The name was unanimous. We would be known as "The Busby Babes".

We all sat down, drafted a begging letter to Matt Busby, the United manager, and three weeks later in October of 1957 a brown box arrived at the home of Mick O'Sullivan in Dalton's Avenue. It contained eleven red jerseys with white collars and all sporting huge numbers on the back. A short letter signed by the great man himself wished us luck and added that these jerseys had been worn by "The Babes" in some of their great triumphs. All the local and national media, including The Kerryman, latched on to the story and we were famous for a few days.

Our team went on to win numerous Killarney town leagues and championships. One memorable Kerry county championship victory was special when we defeated Na Mistelaig of Tralee in the final before a packed St Marys Parish Hall. They had a starstudded side that included Derry O'Shea, and the Burrows brothers, Bruddy and Seanie, who were all internationals.

We went on to repesent Kerry in the now defunct Munster championship and in a dramatic two-legged affair we beat Cork side Neptune by one point. Johnny Culloty, Tadge Fleming, Geni Fogarty, Danno Keeffe (RIP), Paudie O'Connor, (the greatest of all in my opinion) and his brothers all later joined the team as did Tommy 'Bracker' Regan, Jackie Looney, Enda Curtayne, Denis Coffey, John Keogh, Charlie O'Connor, Michael Sexton and many more. They contributed to many 'Babes' victory all over Munster and further a field.

Northern Ireland goalkeeper Harry Gregg survived the disaster and became known as the "the hero of Munich". Seven years ago I sat opposite him for two hours in the Radio Kerry studio as he recalled in dramatic and graphic detail how he had climbed back into the burning wreckage of the plane despite the fact that it was about to explode.

"I got a baby out and then a woman too. I pulled Bobby Charlton, Jackie Blanchflower and then Denis Viollet out of what was left of the aircraft. I dragged them about 20 yards through the snow," he recalled with tears in his eyes. "Rodger Byrne didn't have a mark on him and his eyes were open, but he was clearly dead. I've always regretted that I didn't close his eyes. Matt Busby was rubbing his chest and moaning "my legs, my legs".

Manchester United has a great team at the moment but they will never compare with " The Busby Babes" simply because they were all local lads unlike the world selection of Man United today.

My e-mail address remains [email protected]

Fogra: Captain Thain was eventually cleared of all blame in relation to the crash.



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