Crash victims remembered ten years on

Published on 03/06/2004 00:34

FAMILIES of the 29 people who died in the RAF Chinook tragedy gathered to mark the tenth anniversary of the disaster yesterday.

About 140 relatives of those who lost their lives in the crash attended a memorial service beside the crash site on the Mull of Kintyre.

The memorial service was led by the local parish minister, the Rev Martin Forrest, and the Rev Roddy McNidder, who was the parish minister at the time of the tragedy.

During the 40-minute service, Mr McNidder read a touching poem written by the son of one of those killed in the crash.

He said: "They said pain eases with time, but does time ease pain? Are we able to process and comprehend instances in life when our memories and loves are destroyed? Why must we go through so much hurt and anguish to become stronger?

The Chinook crash at the Mull of Kintyre on 2 June, 1994, was the RAF’s worst peace-time disaster - killing 29 people and sparking a bitter decade of dispute between the air force and the families of those who died.