On this day in 1958, a plane carrying members of the Manchester United soccer team crashed upon takeoff in Munich. The event earned the name, “Munich Air Disaster.”
I’m familiar with this event because of the 2004 Morrissey song titled “Munich Air Disaster.” It’s one of his more beautiful songs, sad and evocative:
We love them
We mourn for them
Unlucky boys of Red
I wish I’d gone down
Gone down with them
To where Mother Nature makes their bed
We miss them
Every night we kiss them
Their faces fixed in our heads
I wish I’d gone down
Gone down with them
To where Mother Nature makes their bed
They can’t hurt you
Their style will never desert you
Because they’re all safely dead
I wish I’d gone down
Gone down with them
You can memorialize the dead in so many ways, but I’m partial to memorials in art, whether it be song, painting, or creative writing. I do especially like memorial songs, such as Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
Do you have a favorite song, poem, or painting that serves as a memorial?
If You Have Five Seconds to Spare 
Even though I live in the States, I’m a huge fan of English soccer, and my favorite team is Manchester City — the local arch rivals of ManU. Despite this, I too set aside my bias each year on the anniversary of this tragic event.
I also love the Lightfoot song about the sinking of the Fitz’ in 1975 but wasn’t aware of the Morrissey song. Heading to iTunes now to check it out!
Thanks for posting this, Rachael.
I don’t follow soccer really at all, but I’m sure this is an event you know about if you’re a fan in any sense.
Let me know what you think of the Morrissey song! I listened to it this morning. It’s always been one of my favorites.