"Eight Manchester United footballers are among 23 dead after an air crash in Munich. The British European Airways (BEA) plane caught fire shortly after take off this afternoon with 38 passengers and six crew on board. The footballing world is reeling from the loss of some of its most talented young players - known as the Busby Babes. Their average age was 23 and they included Roger Byrne - the cap
tain - Mark Jones, Eddie Colman, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan, David Pegg, Geoff Bent & Duncan Edwards." This group is a tribute to all those who were killed so cruelly on that fateful day! The true greats of football - The Busby Babes: The most talented players of their generation. The English Champions, on their way to conquering Europe. ROGER BYRNE (CAPTAIN) - aged 28, full-back. 277 appearances, 19 goals, 33 England caps. GEOFF BENT - aged 25, full-back. 12 appearances. EDDIE COLMAN - aged 21, half-back. 107 appearances, 2 goals. DAVID PEGG - aged 22, forward, 148 appearances, 28 goals, 1 England cap. MARK JONES - aged 24, half-back, 120 appearances, 1 goal. TOMMY TAYLOR - aged 26, forward, 189 apps., 128 goals, 19 England caps, 16 goals. LIAM 'BILLY' WHELAN - aged 22, forward, 96 apps., 52 goals, 4 Republic of Ireland caps. And the greatest of them all.. the greatest of all time:
DUNCAN EDWARDS - aged 21, half-back, 175 apps., 21 goals, 18 England caps, 5 goals. "When I used to hear Muhammad Ali proclaim to the world he was the greatest, I used to smile. The greatest of them all was a footballer named Duncan Edwards." - Jimmy Murphy
"The only player who ever made me feel inferior." - Sir Bobby Charlton
"I also remember the World Cup later on in that year and wondering what might have been. It became Pele's Cup, but it could well have been Edward's." Rest In Peace
Special mention to all the officials and journalists who also lost their lives and to HARRY GREG for his heroics that day. For we all remember,
That '58 day,
And the plane that once stood on,
The Munich runway,
As it tried to take off,
For the third fatal time,
The immortal young Babes were,
Cut down in their prime,
In the cold snow of Munich,
They laid down their lives,
But they live on forever,
In our hearts and our minds,
Their names are now legend,
For the whole world to see,
Why this club's a religion,
Spelt M.U.F.C,
So bow down before them,
And lift up your eyes,
For Old Trafford's glory,
Will always survive..." 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 Billy 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 frame,
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 walked 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 Mancheste
