<< Personal recollections (contd.)
I celebrated my 70th birthday on Friday 8th September 2017. The following day we had a biggish party with some relatives and lots of friends. I’ve been showing this blog to my family and friends. Most of my friends have said that, although they knew I’d been in an air crash, they were not all aware of the extent of what had happened. The response from everyone has been amazing: so very positive. The most common comments I have had are:
- How wonderful it was for you to have met up with the two doctors, Igor and Metka, after all this time.
- We love the pictures, especially of you at the memorial and of you with Igor and Metka.
- How kind it was of Brigita to help set all of this up for you.
One friend, who is at least 5 years younger than me, has emailed me to say that she remembers hearing about the crash on the news as she was getting ready to go to school. I am gradually collecting other reminiscences from friends and relatives. These will be found starting on the page Other people’s memories.
The party was wonderful. After we cut my birthday cake – a sponge cake iced with a sudoku puzzle that my wife Audrey had secretly arranged for the daughter of a friend of ours to bake and decorate – I was asked to say something. All I could manage to say was something the lines of:
“I’d like to thank you all for coming. I’d also like to say happy birthday to Janette.”
Janette was my twin sister who died in the air crash.
I found this very, very hard to do without crying but my wife, my daughter Emily and my cousin Teri really helped me. For the first time in over 50 years, because of the blog, almost everyone in the room understood what I was feeling.
Since writing the above my cousins Teri and Bill, together with their spouses, have visited Ljubljana (25th September 2017) to visit the memorial. This is described on the page Anne, Bill, Teri and Eric’s visit to Ljubljana.
After returning from Ljubljana this year I went to see the therapist I had seen in 2010/2011 wondering if I might be able to gain something from meeting up with her again. However, after a couple of sessions, I have realised that, although a few years ago the help she gave me was considerable, it is not her I need to talk to now; it is my friends, family and anyone else who might contact me through this blog.
The 1966 Ljubljana Air Crash. 
Hello, I worked with a young man who died in this plane crash. He was with his wife , they were on honeymoon. His name was Geoff. Although I don’t remember his surname, I remember them every year.
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Dear Margaret
Thank you for taking to the time to make a comment to my blog. Writing this has been a long time coming but it has been extremely beneficial for me. It has also taken me a long time to realise that many others, besides my mother and myself, were deeply affected by the crash.
Some time ago I came across the following which I found particularly poignant.
http://yorkdailypicture.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/four-graves-one-memorial.html
Many thanks,
Michael Gatford
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I believe I worked with a lady whose cousin that young man was. They married the Saturday before the crash. My best friend was killed along with another friend they were just 19.
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Hi, Margaret did you work at Head Wrightson Middlesbrough? Geoff my brother married Audrey our name is Brown. Hope this helps, would be good to hear more from you.. Regards Vic
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Hello, my grandmother taught the Green brothers who died in the crash along with their parents. The boating pond at the Croft in Sudbury Suffolk was built as a memorial to them. She was absolutely distraught over their deaths, telling me how excited they were to be going on a plane: they even brought model airplanes in to show her. We’d always stop at their commemorative plaque by the River Stour and she’d get very emotional.
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Geoff and Audrey Brown.
I also worked with Geoff at Head Wrightson and he was a very dear friend. Broke my heart when he died .
He was 24 and Audrey my age at the time 19.
Never be forgotten.
June Hadfield
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Margaret. Hi!
I also worked with Geoff Brown at Head Wrightson’s . He was a dear friend ..
Are you Kerry Collins Aunt? I think I worked at the council offices with you.,Regards June
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I worked with Geoff Brown too. A very sad day 1stSept
1966.
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Hello, lots of my family members sadly died in this plane crash.. my grandfather and great grandfather flew out shortly after to bury them as it was too expensive to fly them home. I would be much appreciative of any information with how I can find the passenger list, or a list of casualties.. or even the name of the cemeteries where they were all buried by default..
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Hello,
I thought that Britannia Airways had arranged to fly the bodies of those who died back to the UK where families arranged their funerals. I know that this happened for my father and sisters.
I think I can find some lists of those who died from newspaper cuttings of the day. If you can tell me the names of your family members who died I will see if I can find them.
Very best wishes,
Michael
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Hello Michael, I would be so appreciative. Vera Lloyd/legg/Legge – Depending on which name she was using. Ernest Legg/legge. Frederick Lloyd. Maud Beatrice Slade/Gleeson.
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Dear Michael,
We are so sorry to read of your tragic loss. Thank you for creating your blog so that so many of the elements of the accident are carefully curated.
My husband, Martin’s sister, Carol, was killed in the air crash, together with her boyfriend, David, who was also his best friend. They are buried side by side in their hometown.
Martin’s parents were never able to visit Ljubljana so in their and Carol’s memory, we will be making the trip in October.
Thanks to your blog, we have already contacted the museum to organise an appointment, but we wondered if you possibly have any further contacts/ tips to help us navigate our visit.
Martin, now 75, very much wants to honour Carol and provide as much information as possible to his children so that the history of their lost aunt is not forgotten.
We would very much appreciate any help that you can offer.
Best wishes to you,
Jane
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Dear Michael,
We are so sorry to read of your tragic loss. Thank you for creating your blog, which details so carefully the many elements relating to the accident.
My husband, Martin’s sister, Carol, was killed in the accident, together with her boyfriend, David, who was also Martin’s best friend.
Martin’s parents were never able to visit Ljubljana and in their and Carol’s memory, we are making the trip in October.
Thanks to your blog, we have already contacted the museum to organise an appointment. We wondered whether you have any other particular contacts/ tips that would enable us better to navigate our visit, please?
Martin, now 75, wants to honour his sister and gather as much information as possible to pass on to his children so that their lost aunt is never forgotten .
We would very much appreciate any help you can offer.
Very best wishes to you,
Jane
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