LANDMARK: Winter Hill today, with the antennae and transmitting equipment on the horizon, above, and, below, flowers which have been laid to mark the 50th anniversary of the crash
TRIBUTE: A plaque at the base of the Winter Hill antenna, in memory of those who died in the disaster
AS they set out on a snowy morning, a group of young professionals - each on their way to work in Horwich on February 27, 1958 - had no idea what lay ahead of them.
Now, those who were among the first on the scene of the Winter Hill disaster, along with relatives of some who lost their lives, have placed on film their vivid memories of the tragedy.
They are featured in a DVD documentary, which has been produced by Horwich Rotary Club and Horwich Heritage.
It is being shown at a ceremony at Holy Trinity Church, in Church Street, taking place at 11am today to mark 50 years since the tragic event.
The Manchester-bound Silver City Airways flight from the Isle of Man crashed on the moors on February, 27, 1958, at 9.45am.
Emergency services and local workers battled their way through up to 6ft of snow to get to the crash site.
advertisement
Gordon Burton was a policeman, aged just 18, at the time of the disaster.
He and a colleague carried a stretcher from the police cells at Horwich station up to the crash site.
He said: "It was a harrowing experience for a boy of 18.
"It is something I shall never forget and it is one of the most unusual things I have dealt with."
Dr Sheila McKinlay was also at the crash site to help.
She said: "When I was a student, I was told the duty of a doctor is to cure sometimes and relieve often and to comfort always. The latter was the only thing I could offer 50 years ago."
Horwich and Westhoughton Journal reporter Peter Turner had not been in the office long when he heard the news.
He said: "We had to walk on the walls there was so much snow and it was difficult carry heavy photography equipment. There were bodies and personal items everywhere and the whole place smelled of aviation fuel.
"We ran over and tried to help with stretchers but there was not much we could do so we started with the job in hand."
Ken Whittaker, Jim Stutchbury and Neil Weaver were working at Montcliffe quarry, off Georges Lane.
They set off towards the crash site in a works vehicle but ran out of diesel on the way. They walked more than a mile and carried 10 gallons of diesel to fill the truck and help crash victims.
Mr Stutchbury said: "Where we got the strength from to carry it for over a mile I do not know. It must have been power from God."
The DVD was filmed and edited by Stuart Whittle and Ted Wisedale, of Horwich Heritage.
They had permission from the BBC to use part of an Inside Out programme filmed three years ago, and decided to bring it more up-to-date with interviews from local people.
They asked for people with memories to come forward in October, and started filming in January.
Mr Whittle, chairman of Horwich Heritage, said: "It has taken a while to put this DVD together but we are pleased with it.
"We feel that it captures the emotion of the tragic crash and hope that it will give a better understanding to those who don't know much about it.
"We knew it was probably the last time that we would be able to do a commemorative film while people who remember it are still alive, so we were keen to capture the moment."
To obtain a copy of the DVD, call Mr Whittle on 01204 847 797.
PrintEmail this
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
