Air Ferry DC-4 Crash 3 June 1967

[rog747]

Annie & Henry Smith

[QUOTE=cruismad;10984910]

Originally Posted by ozsmac

Just adding my personal connection to this thread, Annie and Henry Smith were my Mothers parents, and from the stories I've heard would have been wonderful grandparents to my brother and I.
Poor Mum lost them to this tragedy when she was 18, and this incident still leaves a very noticeable daily impact upon our family, and no doubt many others.

Thanks for you most kindly updating your Grandparents names - Annie & Henry Smith.
I'm very sorry to learn of your family's loss.

Now trying to find your extended family must be quite a trial too - is this the thread here your refer ?
Air Ferry DC-4 Crash 3 June 1967
Poster - https://www.pprune.org/search.php?searchid=11080304

Are your Grandparents buried at Brookwood do you know?

[bean]

Rog all the flights quoted were controlled flights into terrain which was an endemic problem with British airlines.
Three more CFIT accidents
Winter hill Lancashire 1958, Silver City Bristol Freighter
Stavanger Norway 1961,Cunard Eagle Viking
Ventnor Isle of Wight 1962, Channel Airways 1962.
The accidents you quoted were both when the pilots were innocent victims of circumstances beyond their control

[blind pew]

BEA

Lost a viscount in the early 70s on an airtest out of glasgow to iirc.

[bean]

Forgot about that one.
last major CFIT accident was Dan-Air Tenerife 1980

[cruismad]

I just want to say thanks

ROG747
I have read your mail and I reckon it is a bit pointless bothering you with my problem, I was hoping someone would see it who knew I was talking about but I will keep looking and it may happen. I knew it was a long shot.
Thanks again stay safe CRUISMAD

[mikecharles]

Hi. There is a report in the book "Last of the Pistons", search online. Also, on google you will find a transcript of the Enquiry written in French, plus photos of some parts still on the mountain near the village of Py, in the Pyrenees. The accident was deemed as caused by a faulty Janitrol hot air heater in the cockpit, probably rusted, and the crew were critically disorientated/intoxicated by the fumes thereby losing their way. Six of my friends from Hull lost their lives, two being buried in a mass grave at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. The flight had departed from Manston Airport.

[cruismad]

Trying

I read your message and I do appreciate what you are doing to help.
My Aunt and Uncle were both killed in this crash Air Ferry DC-4 in 1967. I remember the day my dad (Henry's brother} was given the message to the crash. It was Sunday I believe and we were all in the Kitchen when a knock at the door was whoever came to see Dad. Dad was in a terrible mess but time does heal a bit.
My mum said that they went to the funeral in a mass grave in Surrey and there was one tiny coffin among the rest.
As I said before I was trying to find out where my cousin is now. She used to live in Sunderland.

[22/04]

[QUOTE
Hi. There is a report in the book "Last of the Pistons", search online[/QUOTE]

Do you mean twilight of the pistons?

[bean]

Yes he does. Excellent book.
for the official report google baaa-acro.com G-APYK

[LGS6753]

If it's any slight consolation, I consider that the two accidents of the Air Ferry DC4 and British Midland C4 together forced the UK charter airlines to modernise their fleets and move to jet equipment. At the time, there was much press comment about "piston engined charter aircraft" and within 2/3 years most of the holiday airlines had ordered or introduced jets into their fleets. You often saw, in the late 60s/early 70s holiday brochures that emphasised jet travel.

[cruismad]

Hoping you can help

Hello Robb I have been trying to find out if my cousin is still living in Australia. She is called Linda but I do not know her surname as she was SMITH when I used to visit her home in Sunderland. I think that you know this lady and if so could you give me some thing to go on to try and make contact with her. I appreciate it was a long time since I saw her but I used to go to her home every week as we played hockey on the land opposite her home, and my Aunt who was Annie but we called her Nancy and uncle Henry were lovely people and my dad George now deceased was absolute uncontrollable we got the message. Any way if to you can help I would be most pleased for any help at all.
Thanking you in anticipation
Cruismad
Mrs Ann Rea

[cruismad]

Still trying to find Linda

Hello OZMAC I would love to find out if my cousin still lives in Australia I believe she moved there after the crash. I am not very good at Thread lark but I keep trying. I am Ann Rea nee Smith It was and Linda's dad was my uncle Henry. My aunt Annie who we called Nancy used to give me lunch once a week when I visited her house HAIG HOME, as our school playing field was opposite her house. Lovely people they were. It was devastating the day they told my dad.(George). If I am on the right track would you let me know if she is still living there as I presume she is. Stay safe
Cruismad.

[John63]

Lyons Tours Brochure 1966

Originally Posted by fortunateguy

Yes, we were extremely lucky that peculiar circumstances prevented me from booking the holiday & paying the deposit - that would have sealed both the holiday and our certain deaths for sure! I also recall the Stockport crash that occurred just hours after the Perpignan one, and that one sort of overshadowed the Perpignan press reports because it happened here in the UK.

It's a shame I wasn't so lucky in my above long post about the two holidays, because as the volume of typing I had to do was so long I first completed it as an MS Word document which was grammatically perfect. I then just highlighted, copied & pasted it into the forum input field but I see that in the pasted copy a considerable number of words have become attached to each other. Thank God I've input direct within this post.

Does any member of this thread have a copy of one of the Lyons Tours 1966/67 brochures that they could scan the page that advertised Hotel Acapulco in Calella and email me a jpeg photo?

I have a copy of the brochure published by Lyons Tours Limited of Colne in 1966, which does include an entry for the Hotel Acapulco in Calella. As a new member I’m not able to post scans on this thread but will do do when I am able to.

[cruismad]

ROG747 I know that these people Henry and Annie were my Aunt and Uncle and I am still trying to get in touch with there daughter Linda Can you help?

[rog747]

Henry and Ann Smith Air Ferry passengers

Originally Posted by cruismad

ROG747 I know that these people Henry and Annie were my Aunt and Uncle and I am still trying to get in touch with there daughter Linda
Can you help?

Hi there Ann, How nice of you to think of me, But I am now stuck really as to where to point you in the first instance, except maybe use the powers of Facebook to try and find Linda in Australia - A start would be to see if you can find out what city she first moved to, and also if there any records of her emigration & immigration from the UK in to OZ that can be sourced and work on from there. Those records should be kept.
How did Linda get to Oz? - was she a £10 POM (using as many did the Government assisted passage)
Did Linda go by sea or by air?
All of those records should be able to be obtained but I am not sure of how to begin. Try Somerset House and Australia House in London?
see links here -
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en...nd_Immigration
https://search.findmypast.com/search...ists-1826-1972
Ten Pound Poms
https://www.nla.gov.au/research-guid...senger-records
https://www.naa.gov.au/help-your-res...out-collection

All I know re your close Relatives Henry and Ann Smith who died in the crash are as you know too, buried in the Accident grave at the Brookwood Cemetery near Woking.
see links here -
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...ignan-memorial

Flickr Slideshows (Photostreams)

Lastly, and most definitely worth contacting, is ITV's Long Lost Family.
I possibly think that your sad, but also interesting story may just be something they could help you with.
The facts are that this terrible air crash happened around just 10 hours before another tragic holiday air crash occurred at Stockport (BMA Argonaut from Majorca to Manchester that killed 72) and that June Sunday in 1967 I can remember so well as such a black and awful time.
If the Producers realise their help can provide you with such closure then go for it.
Apply here -
https://www.walltowall.co.uk/casting...-family_3.aspx

If I can help further then please do PM me and maybe we could chat on the phone...I have just sent you a PM here on Pprune messages

Best Wishes and good luck.

emails to use -
[email protected]

[email protected]

[rog747]

a long shot!

Originally Posted by ozsmac

Just adding my personal connection to this thread, Annie and Henry Smith were my Mothers parents, and from the stories I've heard would have been wonderful grandparents to my brother and I. Poor Mum lost them to this tragedy when she was 18, and this incident still leaves a very noticeable daily impact upon our family, and no doubt many others.

Hi OZMAC - it seems a lady on here (a relative of yours here in the UK) Mrs ANN RAE nee SMITH is trying to find who we think is your Mum Linda - Can you touch base with her please?
She is posting on here as Cruismad Air Ferry DC-4 Crash 3 June 1967

[rog747]

long shot re Linda (Smith) in Oz

Originally Posted by robb arrieula

hi there - i live in Australia and have recently come across a lady who lost both parents and her husbands parents in the air ferry crash - june 3, 1967, Mt Canigou i am actually meeting her tonight! can you give me any idea at all where the memorial site for this crash may be. she has been trying to find out and i have spent hours on the internet and making calls to france but nobody seems to know. where did you find the other info on pprune?
hope you can help
thanks
robbie

Hi Robbie - it seems a lady on here - Mrs ANN RAE nee SMITH is trying to find who we think is your friend you mention who lost her parents and uncle and aunt - Linda (was Smith) who is Ann's Cousin here in the UK -

Can you touch base with her please? She is posting on here as Cruismad Air Ferry DC-4 Crash 3 June 1967

I found you on FaceBook and sent you a PM on there....Thanks - would be great if we can make this all work for Ann and Linda etc.

[cruismad]

Great of you to help

Hi Roger
Thanks again for trying to help me. You have given me a few ideas. Linda went to Australia after her mum and dad were killed. and I had gone to London to live but for a long time to time it would come back into my mind but I did not really try to find her. I asked my mum if she knew where Linda was but she did not know. The last time she saw her she had moved to Yorkshire, but she had heard that Linda had gone to Australia and she thought it was Melbourne that she went to but as it was so far away we just hoped she was happy as she deserved some happiness. But now we are getting older I would like to hear from her.
As I said thanks for the help and time.
Ann Rea cruismad

[rog747]

Originally Posted by cruismad

Hi Roger
Thanks again for trying to help me. You have given me a few ideas. Linda went to Australia after her mum and dad were killed. and I had gone to London to live but for a long time to time it would come back into my mind but I did not really try to find her. I asked my mum if she knew where Linda was but she did not know. The last time she saw her she had moved to Yorkshire, but she had heard that Linda had gone to Australia and she thought it was Melbourne that she went to but as it was so far away we just hoped she was happy as she deserved some happiness. But now we are getting older I would like to hear from her.
As I said thanks for the help and time.
Ann Rea cruismad

Well - maybe we will get some good responses back from the messages I sent to Ozsmac and Robbie Arrieula both of whom certainly seem to know Linda in oz.

Please read your private messages

[Mumofboys]

Air ferry crash perpignan 6th June 1967

Hello, this is my first time on here and so glad I found it while doing some research on the crash and wanted to share my story or my mums really! My mum and dad got married October 1966, she was 20 and my dad 22 and all set to celebrate their 56th anniversary this year! Anyway she was 6months pregnant with my brother when she got the devastating news that her beloved dad and brother, her step mum and half sister all died in the crash! I've always known they died in a plane crash but never really asked to many questions as she still finds it hard to talk about, because of this she along with my dad have never flown in their lives and she absolutely hates it when me or my sister goes on holiday, first thing I do when I get off plane either going or coming home is to send a text to say I've landed im 50 and my sister's 52!! I don't know why but just this week I've wanted to find out more details about it and was surprised to find everything I needed within a couple of days hence how I found this group. Reading through these comments i !earned about the memorial in london? And the mass grave, you see I never knew about that as my mums family were all brought home to devon and buried at a local church, David (mums brother) has his own grave and her dad, step mum and sister are all buried together next to david, I've always known they were there but havnt been up there since we buried my nan over 20 years ago, (mums mum and David's mum) so because I wanted more answers i dragged my sister with me to go see the graves to see if we could get more info from them and put some flowers on all the graves. And was really pleased to see they had the date of the crash and where it crashed written on their headstones so now I'm just looking up anything on it. Sorry if this goes on a bit but it was so nice reading about other people's experience of the crash, and would love to know if anyone knew them?
james Andrew Nicholas
Rita Nicholas
David Nicholas age 11
Sarah Jane Nicholas age 2