Munich 1958
 This is my testimonial to the Players & Officials & Others who's lives were lost on Thursday 6th February 1958 and after.
Click on players name for profile

Fact: Liverpool FC & Manchester City FC also had connections and tragedy in the crash.

Herbert Whalley who lost his life in the tragedy played for Liverpool as a guest in WW2 & Matt Busby who was injured, played for Liverpool from 1936 to 1939.

Frank Swift who also lost his life was a goalkeeper for Manchester City & England from 1933-1949 & also played for Liverpool as a guest during WW2.

Manchester United lost 10 1st team players in total as Jackie Blanchflower & Johnny Berry never played again due to there injuries sustained from the crash.

GALLANT LADS
 
Farewell those lads who played a fine game,

Throughout this world they brought us fame,
Long live their memories God Bless them all,
They've shown the world how to play football.
 
Don't lets forget reporters as well,
Who had many a fine forecast to tell,
Such a sad loss for us to lose,
Those men who brought us all the news.
 
In our hearts we know not why,
These famous lads all had to die,
We bow our heads and cry in shame,
Such a terrible loss to the football game.
 
United they stood, United they fell,
What a great shock for English football,
The time will come when once again,
"Come on United", you'll rise to fame.
 
Such names like Taylor, Pegg and Byrne,
Jones, Colman, Whelan and Bent,
Will linger on and some day return,
So it's not goodbye but just farewell,
For in the future who can foretell,
The lads to come will try their best,
For those gallant lads laid to rest

Kindly used with the permission of Mr & Mrs Charlie & Sylvia Griffiths of Swinton, England

 

The Flowers of Manchester

One cold and bitter Thursday in Munich, Germany,
Eight great football stalwarts conceded victory,
Eight men who will never play again who met destruction there,
The flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester

Matt Busby's boys were flying, returning from Belgrade,
This great United family, all masters of their trade,
The Pilot of the aircraft, the skipper Captain Thain,
Three times they tried to take off and twice turned back again.

The third time down the runaway disaster followed close,
There was a slush upon that runaway and the aircraft never rose,
It ploughed into the marshy ground, it broke, it overturned.
And eight of the team were killed as the blazing wreckage burned.

Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor who were capped for England's side.
And Ireland's Liam Whelan and England's Geoff Bent died,
Mark Jones and Eddie Colman, and David Pegg also,
They all lost their lives as it ploughed on through the snow.

Big Duncan he went to, with an injury to his brain,
And Ireland's brave Jack Blanchflower will never play again,
The great Sir Matt Busby lay there, the father of his team
Three long months passed by before he saw the team again.

The trainer, coach and secretary, and a member of the crew,
Also eight sporting journalists who with United flew,
and one of them Big Swifty, who we'll ne'er forget,
the finest English 'keeper that ever graced the net.

Oh, England's finest football team its record truly great,
its proud successes mocked by a cruel turn of fate.
Eight men will never play again, who met destruction there,
the flowers of English football, the flowers of Manchester.