Wigan sisters pay emotional visit to Spanish grave of relatives who died in plane crash

Siblings whose relatives died in a plane crash fifty years ago have made a trip to the mass grave in Spain where they are buried.
Rita and Brian LoweRita and Brian Lowe
Rita and Brian Lowe

Siblings whose relatives died in a plane crash fifty years ago have made a trip to the mass grave in Spain where they are buried.

Angela Andrews and younger sister Amy Freeman visited a cemetery in Spain earlier this month, where their aunt and uncle Rita and Brian Lowe were laid to rest in July 1970.

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They were among 105 passengers, alongside seven crew members, who died when the Dan Air jet they were flying on crashed.

Amy and Angela at the cemeteryAmy and Angela at the cemetery
Amy and Angela at the cemetery

The plane had been travelling from Manchester to Barcelona when it disappeared from radars.

The following day the wreckage of the de Havilland Comet 4 aircraft was found in a mountainous area of northern Spain, with no survivors.

The victims were buried in a mass grave in the nearby village of Arbucies.

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Spanish authorities insisted the remains be buried within 48 hours for “hygiene reasons”, meaning that many families could not attend.

Wreckage from the tragic flightWreckage from the tragic flight
Wreckage from the tragic flight

Many of the holiday makers were from Greater Manchester, including other Wigan couples Henry and Ethel Baker and John Finney and his girlfriend Ann Todd, with whom Brian and Rita had travelled.

Angela was just a child at the time of the tragedy, and vividly remembered the police visiting her family home to deliver the news that Brian and Rita had died.

She said: “I was only four years old when it happened and remember police coming to the door and my mum Barbara screaming.

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“Rita was her 21-year-old sister, she was from Standish and worked at Coops with a job sewing.

The gravestone to the victims in SpainThe gravestone to the victims in Spain
The gravestone to the victims in Spain

“She had not been married to Brian for very long at all. He was 22 and a milkman from Pemberton.

“They had only been married a year, it was their first holiday abroad and they had been so looking forward to going to the Costa Brava.”

Now, half a century on from the disaster, 54-year-old Angela and sister Amy, 40, have visited the cemetery to pay their respects.

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They had planned to visit as well as around the time of the anniversary in July, but had to shelve their plans for several months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But they finally made it earlier this month, giving them a chance to say a final goodbye to Brian and Rita.

Angela, 54, said: “I had always wanted to know more, and to go back there,” said Angela, 54.

“It was a nice way to remember them, but it was upsetting too.

“It’s a lovely grave and is kept up by the locals.

“I’m glad we made the journey this year, even with the coronavirus. I was determined to go. I just knew I had to go now, because I don’t think I ever will again.”

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She added: “It was nice and peaceful and quiet, but I did shed a tear.

Before leaving, Angela and Amy left a candle by the graveside with a photo of Rita and Brian, and a memorial stone bearing their names, photographs and flowers.

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