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Post by Sam Tyler on Dec 21, 2018 12:07:04 GMT
It is hard to believe that this tragic event that happened 30 years ago to this day. I'm sure the majority of us remember the horrific scenes of devastation that appeared on our screens over the days that followed? For me as it was for many it was a town that I'd never previously heard of but it soon became one that would now be forever engrained in people's minds. At the time Annie was heavily pregnant with our twins and worried for me as only three weeks later I was flying out to the US for a week on business. I've just been reading a few articles on the BBC News website that serve to remind us well of a tragedy that some mercenaries inflicted only days before what should have been a happy Christmas for those affected. Pan Am flight 103: Finding words to describe Lockerbie tragedyLockerbie - The town scarred by Pan Am flight 103Other articles have also covered how those involved at the scene at the time are still affected by what they saw, as well as showing the memorial that now stands for those that lost their lives: 243 passengers, 16 crew and 11 residents of Lockerbie itself. Sam
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Dec 21, 2018 15:09:54 GMT
I remember this well. Apparently, the intention of the bomber was that it was timed to go off when the plane was over the Atlantic, but there was a delay of about half an hour on take off so detonated over Lockerbie.
By a strange coincidence, Britain's worst ever rail disaster was in the same area, at Quintinshill
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Dec 21, 2018 17:15:49 GMT
I doubt most of us could recall the date & year this atrocity happened. Particularly hard for a small community to come to terms with & be forever associated with something so horrendous. How do you make sense of it & the Blair government's toadying to Gaddafi? And it's still an ongoing criminal investigation.
RIP to all the victims.
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Post by John Steed on Dec 21, 2018 21:21:30 GMT
As you say Sam, it is probably a town that a lot of us had never previously heard of but it is indeed engrained in most of our minds now. I remember watching a documentary about victims and their family members, friends etc. One guy said that he should have been on that plane but arrived at the airport too late and missed the flight. That must be something that he has spent a lot of time thinking about as he said that he actually sometimes felt guilty for missing it; although his family were obviously relieved when they found out that he was alive and well after initially thinking the worst. For me one of the most haunting pictures is that of part of the cockpit which was shown many times on news footage.
Steed
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Post by Gene Hunt on Dec 21, 2018 21:50:50 GMT
The wreckage was scattered over 1.2 miles which isn't surprising given the bomb was detonated at 31000 feet while the plane was travelling at a shade under 500MPH. You can only pray that most on board knew nothing about it when it happened. I say most as the official inquest heard that a flight attendant was found still alive by a farmers wife, but passed away before help could be summoned.
An appalling atrocity.
One of the notable passengers who perished in the disaster was former Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel bass player Paul Jeffreys
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Post by Kenny Dalglish 1979 on Mar 20, 2019 22:36:42 GMT
I remember this as well. I was only 9 and can remember the news coverage. On the day it happened, ITV were scheduled to show Magnum Force straight after News At Ten but had to delay it till midnight because of the extended highlights.
A few months before, President Zia of Pakistan had died in a plane crash.
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Mar 21, 2019 21:36:44 GMT
Beyond horrible this incident, the plane flew on for a bit before plunging earthwards, don't want to think about.
RIP.
Less than two weeks earlier was the Clapham Junction rail crash that claimed 35 lives in an accident that was entirely avoidable.
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