In need of some help: the Lanfranc memorial in Croydon Crematorium, after more than 60 years, is in need of some restoration work
By NEIL BENNETT
The Archbishop Lanfranc Academy is asking for help to restore the memorial to 34 of its pupils who died in a 1961 air crash, one of the most tragic chapters in Croydon history.
No survivors: 39 lives were lost when the Vickers Viking crashed on Holtaheia Mountain, Stavanger, on Aug 9 1961
The boys, two teachers and three air crew were all killed when the aircraft taking them on a summer trip to Norway crashed. There were no survivors.
The memorial garden for the Lanfranc air disaster, in Croydon Crematorium, is badly in need of improvement and the school has opened a crowdfunding page to raise at least £60,000 to replace damaged name plaques and inscription stones, repair and clean broken paving slabs, remove damaged trees, and generally make the area a fitting place of commemoration once again.
Lanfranc School, on Mitcham Road, became The Archbishop Lanfranc Academy in 2014 and has always made huge efforts to keep the memories of the boys alive. A permanent display in the school’s foyer reminds visitors about the tragedy. In the school hall there is a plaque dedicated to all who those who were killed.
Simon Trehearn, the school’s principal, says: “It’s a sad but very important part of the school’s history. We take all of our new, Year 7, pupils along to Croydon Crematorium and talk to them about the tragedy. They, and the rest of the school, reflect on it during assemblies and tutor times.
“We have Memorial Day on the first Monday in July every year and, on the actual anniversary, members of staff visit the garden and lay flowers despite it being during the school holidays.
“We think it’s important the garden remains a pleasant and well-cared for place where people can reflect on the tragedy and find peace in an otherwise busy life and busy area of Croydon.”
Restoration project: the school’s crowdfunding efforts aims to make the area a fitting place of commemoration once again
All funds raised by the crowdfunder will be held by The Academy and managed by appointed trustees.
The Vickers Viking aircraft carrying the schoolboys was trying to land at Stavanger Airport on August 9, 1961. In poor weather, it crashed into Holtaheia Mountain. But the cause of the disaster was never identified, adding to the families’ anguish.
The official investigation by the Norwegian and British authorities simply recorded that, “The cause of this accident was a deviation from the prescribed flight path for reasons unknown.”
Relatives hoped that on the 60th anniversary of the disaster, in 2021, there might be a final release of documents which could reveal more. Those hopes went unfulfilled.
There were many bitter twists of fate.
It was the first time the boys, aged between 13 and 16, had flown on a school trip. They did Saturday jobs and their families saved hard through the year but, despite their efforts, some had to drop out at the last minute and opted instead for a cheaper holiday, to Austria, by rail.
One 13-year-old boy called correctly on the toss of a coin to claim the last place on the aeroplane. His name was Quentin Green, from Norbury.
Always remembered: the plaque at Archbishop Lanfranc school with the names of all those killed in the air crash
His death changed everything, as it did for all the Lanfranc families. His father, Ronald, died four months later of a heart attack, always blaming himself for letting Quentin go on the trip. His sister, Rosalind, wrote two exhaustively researched books as part of her quest to discover the cause of the disaster.
Now Rosalind Jones, she welcomes the campaign to renovate the Lanfranc School Memorial: “Over the years, the memorial has been going downhill but it commemorates a tragic event which people were devastated by at the time, but I don’t think Croydon really remembers it today.
“It changed so many lives, including mine. Before that I had been very slack at school, but I made my father a promise that I would work harder and it set me on a new course for life.” Rosalind Jones went on to become a prolific and successful writer.
Peter Crouch, now 79, was a pupil at Lanfranc School and lost his 15-year-old twin brother Geoffrey in the disaster. “After Geoffrey died,” he says “my family were never the same again. A sort of light went out in dad’s eyes and I don’t think he ever truly recovered from it.
“I would love to see the Lanfranc School Memorial brought up to scratch as a tribute to all those young lives that were lost before they had learned to live.”
In an editorial in 1961, The Croydon Advertiser told its readers: “Rarely in peacetime has an English town suffered such a tragedy as overwhelmed Croydon last week.”
The tragedy drew widespread national publicity, but memories have faded – except for the families, who gather informally every year on August 9 at the Lanfranc School Memorial, which will hopefully be restored to its former dignity by the time of the 65th anniversary in 2026.
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I think a lot of people who were alive at the time remember this terrible tragedy. I was a 12-year-old at another school in Croydon and it affected me deeply. Many times when I visit Croydon Crematorium grounds I stop by the Lanfranc memorial to pay respects to the young people and their teachers who lost their lives.
It’s very good that there are plans for the memorial to be renovated. It will keep memories alive for future generations.
My name is Roger Howard.I was one of the boys who dropped out to go on the cheaper Austria trip with my friend Roger Noakes. Without knowing it, he saved my life. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t think of them and the numbness that I felt and the sadness that I still feel.
My name is Alain Judd and indeed was saved , probably by being transferred in the 13 plus ! John Beacham was my form master and was a terrific teacher . Behind me immediately , sat Peter Boyes . I knew John Bradbury too , although he was in another form . I went on to have a good career after graduating from the Royal Academy of
Music . Something I might not have had . I often used to visit the memorial when visiting my grandparents grave just nearby . Several masters are also there now as well . I have sent a significant donation towards the restoration . I urge others to donate same .
Patricia Spanswick as was then..I left Lanfranc Grirls school in 1961..haven’t been to the cemetery in years..I left Croydon in 1969…left London in 1975..have never forgotten the day of Lanfranc school…