A flypast by three RAF aircraft brought to a close a commemoration to mark 75 years since what was then the world’s worst air disaster, which happened at an RAF airfield.
On 12th March 1950, an Avro Tudor airliner carrying Welsh rugby fans from a Five Nations game in Ireland was coming in to land at RAF Llandow. It crashed just short of the runway and all but three of the 83 people onboard were killed.
Many of those killed that day travelled as part of trips organised by rugby clubs and pubs across Wales. Rugby clubs like Abercarn, Risca and Llanharan were devastated, with players and club officials among the dead. Many towns and coal mines came to a standstill in the following week as thousands attended the funerals of the victims.
An inquest subsequently found that the airliner had been incorrectly loaded and became unstable as it came into land, causing it to crash.
The Royal Air Force played a key role in the disaster, personnel from Llandow and nearby RAF St Athan took a leading part in the rescue and recovery operation. It was their sad task to recover the bodies from the Tudor and take them to the temporary mortuary set up at RAF Llandow. They were aided by members of the RAF Police from St Athan who also helped guard the crash site.
Air Commodore Rob Woods
Air Officer Wales
Air Commodore Rob Woods continued: "RAF medical staff gave comfort to the relatives who came to identify the dead, and the three survivors, who were taken to the hospital at RAF St Athan, later spoke with warmth and gratitude for the care they had received there. Today we give thanks for the efforts and the service of those RAF personnel in caring for the wounded, the dead, and their families."
One of the units stationed at Llandow was Wales’ only RAF Reserve unit – No. 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron. Their Commanding Officer today, Wing Commander Lee Matthews said: "As today, the members of 614 Squadron served in their spare time and they were at a training weekend when the Avro Tudor crashed and were first on the scene. They were horrified to find that one of the bodies they pulled from the wreckage was that of their then Officer Commanding, Squadron Leader Bill Irving, from Cwmbran. He had organised a trip from his local pub to watch the game."
"He also served with the squadron during the war, surviving many dangerous missions, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions then, only to die coming home from a rugby match."
Wing Commander Lee Matthews
The event brought together relatives of those who died, representatives of the rugby clubs affected, and local dignitaries, including the Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, Morfudd Meredith and the Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Councillor Lis Burnett.
The flypast by three Tutor T1 aircraft was provided by the University of Wales Air Squadron, based at MoD St Athan.
