Memorial Cycle Ride – 1974 Paris Air Disaster

Austin Cornish (M83-87) writes “I was speaking to Jules Arthur (K75-84) and Gordon Ellis (G76-84) both OF’s who [like me] lost their fathers in the 1974 Paris Air Disaster.  We have just completed a 360 mile cycle ride from Ermenonville near Paris back to Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club to remember the 18 players from the club that were killed on a plane crash in 1974. If you see the link below you can see we have raised over £200k for charity and a TV clip attached, there were 60 cyclists in total all friends/family including Anthony Bull (Z79-89) and Barnaby Green (S15-20) with me.

I wanted to do something for the 40th anniversary so decided to cycle from where the plane crashed in Ermenonville back to Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club, we had 95 cyclists and raised £187k for the two local charities. As this was such a success we decided we would do it again for the 50th anniversary where we had 60 cyclists and did the event 3 weeks ago, so far we have raised £206k after costs. It’s been a huge community event for the families of the disaster related to Bury Rugby Club and a way of remembering the event and raising some serious monies to help fund a new all weather pitch at Bury Rugby Club for the juniors and the St Nicholas Hospice so support their child bereavement program.”

Click below to see the film to understand why the ride was created, the ride itself and the emotional homecoming.

https://www.facebook.com/beanstalkmedia.co.uk/videos/474556942245838

The background

The plane crash on March 3, 1974, was the worst the world had ever seen. The players, staff and colleagues at the Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club had visited France in good spirits – to watch the England versus France Five Nations match and take part in a friendly against a local side – having just won the Suffolk Knockout Cup. But after their friendly scheduled for the day of the crash was postponed, 18 of the 21-strong party opted to take an earlier flight on the ill-fated Turkish Airlines DC-10 as a two-day strike at Heathrow had halted any British flights. In total 346 people perished in the tragedy, which caused incomparable grief in the west Suffolk town and rugby community. Ten local women had been widowed and between them they had 19 children who were now fatherless. The Rugby Club set up a Disaster Fund to give immediate assistance, which had phenomenal support from the public.

Donations can still be made for such a great cause AND JUST CLICK THIS LINK.