‘It became very real when I saw the passengers’ luggage strewn all over the ground...’
MANY of the heroes of the Stockport Air Disaster were from the Salvation Army - who were based nearby and on the scene even before the emergency services.
The charity’s headquarters, on Hillgate, was turned into a makeshift mortuary, its members helped pull people from the wreckage and were there to provide support to families afterwards.
As the plane came down members were about travel to give a brass band performance and others were at Sunday School but they hastily made their way up to the crash site.
Now some of those who were there that day have spoken for the first time about what it was like.
Pat Harvey, now 66, was among 70 Salvation Army members at the site and served food and drink to the rescuers.
She said: “The bandsmen went straight there and were one of the first on the scene. They immediately started to help get people out along with local volunteers.
“When emergency services arrived they continued to work alongside them. Our young persons hall became a make shift mortuary. My mum, along with other ladies from the corps worked in the hall.
“My younger sister’s abiding memory is of ambulances queuing outside the hall. Black curtains were draped over the doors of the hall. No one had mobile phones so runners were used to pass messages between the crash site and the hall.
“When I first arrived at the scene the plane was on fire having burst into flames not long after rescuers had started to get people out.
“Initially it was surreal to witness such a scene of utter devastation. It became very real when I saw the passengers’ luggage strewn all over the ground, bringing a stark reminder that these were people who were returning from a lovely holiday in the sun.
“My role was to serve tea with a few others. We had to improvise and balanced the tea trays on upturned milk crates. We used china tea cups from our corps and sandwiches were supplied by local businesses.
“Many of the Salvationists who helped on that day are no longer alive and I feel that it’s important to salute their memory and recognise their efforts.”
At the end of the day Major Arthur O’Neill, the group’s leader, led a sombre service at the packed Salvation Army building. His daughter Elaine Cobb was just 11 at the time and had only moved to Stockport with her dad three weeks earlier following the death of her mother. She said: “They (the bandsmen) got straight to work getting people out. Apparently the passengers were trapped.
“Then, with lots of people still on board, alive, the plane burst into flames so the men had to step back until the fire could be put out, which must have been so hard to see.
“Sadly, when they were able to get back to work there weren’t any more survivors and they had to recover bodies.
“The corps played a huge role on the day and in the following weeks. It was the corps, people like my brother who helped sort through the belongings of the passengers.
“And other corps members who worked in the makeshift mortuary. For a long time afterwards the corps supported the bereaved families.
“Obviously they came to the corps to identify the bodies which must have been very hard due to the fire which engulfed the plane. Each time someone from the corps was with them.
“They would leave and then someone else would arrive and again they would need to be supported through an incredibly difficult experience. This was a different sort of strength, supporting relatives.
“My dad used to sell papers in pubs on Friday nights and for a long time afterwards, when he walked into a pub people would clap due to the support the corps provided around the air disaster.
“The town was so grateful. I know my dad was immensely proud of how the corps leaped into action on the day and supported the bereaved in the weeks afterwards. There was always such pride – I know I felt proud and still do.”
Another member involved on the day was Dot Firth.
She said: “We worked tirelessly over the next days to comfort relatives who had to identify their family members often by the jewellery removed from them and labelled and pinned onto the blankets covering them. We still held our evening service with many of the rescuers in attendance. It was a truly harrowing experience but apart from the awful scenes of hot dog stalls and ice cream vans the community pulled together.”