Forever-United

On February 6,1958 one of the most talented and promising young teams in world football was all but destroyed in a plane crash in Munich. That Manchester United team were nicknamed the Busby Babes, and they had been flying back from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade.

The plane stopped for refuelling in Munich, and after two failed attempts to take off in the snowy conditions, it crashed. Twenty-two of the passengers were killed instantly, including seven members of Sir Matt Busby's team. Their inspirational coach was taken to hospital clinging onto his own life, as was his star player Duncan Edwards.

The young midfielder lost his fight for life fifteen days later, robbing United and England of a player who could have been one of their greatest. However, Busby survived and went on to finally achieve his dream of winning the European Cup ten years later with Munich survivor Bobby Charlton scoring twice.

Wilf McGuinness was a player at United at the time, but missed the trip through injury. He later went on to manage the club, and has written a tribute to his team-mates on the club's official site: "The thing to remember after all this time is how wonderful that group of lads were. Not only them, but the club staff who went - Walter Crickmer, Tom Curry, Bert Whalley.

"They were lovely people who helped build Manchester United. 22 died in all, including eight players and two who never played again - Jackie Blanchflower and Johnny Berry. We were like a family, we went out together, to each other's houses. It was unique. They were great lads. They'll always be remembered, but I like recalling the way they played, the friends they were and the wonderful people they were. Their families are so proud of them, and rightly so. They had everything, and combined to make a wonderful team."

The men who were killed in the Munich air disaster also included a number of journalists and club officials. The full list of deceased is:

Roger Byrne (Manchester United captain)
Geoff Bent (Player)
Eddie Colman (Player)
Duncan Edwards (Player)
Mark Jones (Player)
David Pegg (Player)
Tommy Taylor (Player)
Billy Whelan (Player)
Walter Crickmer (Club secretary)
Bert Whalley (Chief Coach)
Tom Curry (Trainer)
Alf Clarke (Journalist - Manchester Evening Chronicle)
Don Davies (Journalist - Manchester Guardian)
George Fellows (Journalist - Daily Herald)
Tom Jackson (Journalist - Manchester Evening News)
Archie Ledbrooke (Journalist - Daily Mirror)
Henry Rose (Journalist - Daily Express)
Frank Swift (Journalist - News of the World)
Eric Thompson (Journalist - Daily Mail)
Willie Satinoff (Supporter)
Capt. Kenneth Rayment (Co-pilot)
Bela Miklos (Travel Agent)
Tom Cable (Passenger)