Like so many Manchester United fans – make that football fans, I have read thousands, possibly millions of words about Sir Matt Busby. Books from 60 years ago still hold pride of place on my bookshelf yet it has only recently come to my attention that he was REALLY Sir Alex Busby! Were there not just one but two “Alex the Great” in the history of the club? This is the Wikipedia entry for Sir Matt “Sir Alexander Matthew “Matt” Busby, CBE, KCSG (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994). He was the longest serving manager in the history of Manchester United until 19 December 2010, when Sir Alex Ferguson surpassed his record.”
One of the unforgettable dates in English football history is February 6 1958 and not just for Manchester United but for the world game itself. With total respect to the Babes and everyone who lost their lives in that tragedy, tributes are being paid to them all over the web today so Truly Reds has decided to pay a special tribute to their ‘Father’, ‘Sir Alex Busby’ through some rare, historic photos thanks to the Daily Mail
These are the Babes who lost their lives in that tragedy
Roger Byrne 28
Mark Jones 24
Duncan Edwards 21
Tommy Taylor 26
Eddie Colman 21
Liam Whelan 22
David Pegg 22
Geoff Bent 25
Try to imagine the feelings of the survivors when they discovered that so many of their comrades had perished. Now imagine yourself as a youngster, so inspired by these footballers only a few years older than yourself. Then try to feel the shock, pain and anguish and disbelief and utter helplessness of hearing about their sudden demise. This was not just the biggest tragedy in English football, it was the defining moment in the history of Manchester United.
The groundswell of passion that followed was unbelievable. Millions of people, some not even football fans, wept openly. Schools were closed, memorial services and tributes proliferated all over Europe. The greatest club side in English football history was wiped out at Munich. Together with the widely mourned ‘Busby Babes’, another 15 from the 43 passengers on board the Elizabethan charter aircraft G-ALZU ‘Lord Burghley’ lost their lives on Thursday 6th February 1958. They were…
Walter Crickmer – Manchester United Secretary
Bert Whalley – Chief Coach
Tom Curry – Trainer
Frank Swift – Journalist and one of Manchester City’s greatest players
Alf Clarke – Journalist
Don Davies – Journalist
George Fellows – Journalist
Tom Jackson – Journalist
Archie Ledbrooke – Journalist
Henry Rose – Journalist
Eric Thompson – Journalist
Captain Kenneth Rayment – Co Pilot
Tom Cable – Steward
Bela Miklos – Travel Agent
Willie Satinoff – Supporter
February 6th 1958 was a tragic day for so many lives but in a strange, ironic way, it helped transform Manchester United into the world wide sporting icon that it is today.
