Lest we forget these brothers, heroes of North Sea

Published on Wednesday 15 April 2009 22:01

THEY were, as one of the floral tributes proclaimed, a band of brothers – united in tragedy.

And yesterday the lives of the 16 men killed in the Super Puma disaster a fortnight ago, and a North Sea colleague who died on the same day in an offshore accident, were jointly honoured at an emotional memorial service in Aberdeen, Europe's energy capital.

Watch a slideshow of images from the memorial service

A fleet of 11 buses with darkened windows, carrying more than 400 relatives of the 17 men who died, pulled up at the city's "Mither Kirk" – the Church of St Nicholas – shortly before the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall entered the historic building to lead the nation in mourning.

The service began almost two weeks to minute from when the two pilots and 14 oilmen on board the Bond-operated Super Puma plunged into the North Sea 14 miles from the Buchan coast.

That same afternoon, David Stephenson, a crewman on an oil support vessel, died from injuries he received in an accident aboard the ship.

As the congregation of more than 1,000 people watched in sombre silence, a white candle was lit to honour each of the 17 men who died on 1 April – a day which oil industry chaplain the Rev Andrew Jolly pledged would never be forgotten.

Speaking of a book of remembrance, opened in the kirk to honour the men who died, he said: "It is important I believe, in these times of sorrow, that such a book is created, for it serves to remind us of those who are the heroes of this industry.

"And they are those who have paid the ultimate price for the richness which is God's creation harvested below the seabed."

One by one, as the candles were lit, the names of the "heroes" who died were called out – Paul Burnham, 31, captain of the Super Puma; his co-pilot, Richard Menzies, 24; their passengers Brian Barkley, 30, Vernon Elrick, 41, Leslie Taylor, 41, Nairn Ferrier, 40, Gareth Hughes, 53, David Rae, 63, Raymond Doyle, 57, James Edwards, 33, Nolan Goble, 34, James Costello, 24, Alex Dallas, 62, Warren Mitchell, 38, Stuart Wood, 27, and Mihails Zuravskis, 39.

A final candle was lit for David Stephenson, 44, from Choppington, Northumberland, who died onboard the oil rig support vessel Wellservicer from crush injuries.

As he began his eulogy, Mr Jolly told the congregation, which included Prime Minister Gordon Brown, First Minister Alex Salmond and Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, that the Church of St Nicholas was no stranger to the tragedies which had befallen Britain's oil and gas industry over the past 40 years.

But no-one outside the bereaved families could even begin to imagine the pain and sorrow felt by those closest to the men who died, he said.

The date 1 April, 2009, he said, would be a day that would be marked indelibly in the history of exploration and production in the North Sea.

It was "a day when tragedy struck 16 people on flight 85 November". Mr Jolly added: "And, before a few hours had passed, a second incident occurred offshore resulting in a death on the Wellservicer; 17 deaths on a beautiful, sunny, April afternoon.

"For those of you who are the families of those who perished, that day, that date, will be forever indelibly imprinted in your memory.

"Those of us gathered here this afternoon to show our care and concern and support for you, who mourn the loss of your loved ones, be assured that we will never forget Wednesday, 1 April, 2009.

"We will all go back to the routines of life at some point. But life cannot be the same because of what we have shared in here today and experienced with those who perished in the awful events of Wednesday, 1 April, 2009."

Outside in Union Street, a silent crowd of more than 2,000 people watched the service on a giant screen.

Inside the church, the wreaths which had been laid in honour of the 17 men included a floral tribute with the word "Brothers" spelled out in yellow chrysanthemums and red roses, bearing a card from trade union shop stewards in the oil and gas industry.

Speaking after the memorial service,

the Scottish Secretary, whose father Jim Murphy Snr had once worked as a welder in the North Sea, said: "I thought it was amazingly emotional.

"Facing the families of those who have perished, you can't really grasp the sense of tragedy and loss that they are going through.

"It was an enormously painful day for them and I hope that the service, and the way the country has come together, will provide a little bit of comfort at an unimaginably harrowing time."

Mr Salmond said: "The service was simple, dignified and enormously moving. It will mean a great deal to the families, as will the turnout from thousands of people to make their own tribute."

He added: "Safety is the ultimate priority for those who work in the North Sea. Let that stand as a memorial we can give to the lives of those who died so tragically in this accident."

Malcolm Webb, the chief executive of Oil and Gas UK, the pan-industry trade body, spoke briefly with Prince Charles at the conclusion of the service.

He said: "Prince Charles expressed his condolences and I thanked him on behalf of the industry and said how much this has hurt everybody in this industry.

"Hopefully, the relatives of all those men who lost their lives will find some comfort in today. Hopefully, they will sense the grief that is being felt not just in our industry but across the whole community."