Hundreds of guests have taken part in a memorial service to remember the 11 men who died in the Shoreham air crash – exactly three months since the disaster.
Relatives of those who lost their lives when a vintage Hawker Hunter jet crashed onto the A27 in West Sussex were among those attending the invitation-only ceremony.
Uniformed firefighters, police officers, paramedics and volunteers have also turned out for the hour-long service at Lancing College’s Gothic chapel, overlooking the crash site.
The event has been organised by emergency service members and local community leaders, including East Worthing and Shoreham Conservative MP Tim Loughton.
The Bishop of Chichester Martin Warner is leading the service which he has described as an “important moment” for those touched by the tragedy on Saturday 22 August.
The crash happened when the 1950s plane failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop manoeuvre during the Shoreham Airshow and plummeted onto the busy A27.
Dr Warner told the service: “We are gathered here in this college chapel to remember before God those who died and those who were injured in the Shoreham air crash on Saturday August 22.
“We give thanks for their lives and hold them in our prayers. We pray for all who mourn, for all who are rebuilding their lives, and we give thanks for those who shared – often at great cost to themselves – in the work of rescue and support.”
He praised the police, firefighters, paramedics, doctors and nurses and the clergy and faith leaders who helped in the aftermath of the disaster.
After prayers led by Dr Warner, the names of the 11 people who died were read out at 1.22pm – the exact time the plane came down – before a minute’s silence was observed.
As a guitar instrumental was played by Richard Durrant, each family brought forward a lit candle and placed it on the chapel’s altar in front of guests who included Shoreham Airshow representatives.
After the choir sang View me, Lord, A Work of Thine by Thomas Campion, family members gave three readings – the Comfort and Sweetness of Peace by Helen Steiner Rice, A Letter from Heaven by Ruth Ann Mahaffey and I Am There In Spirit by Bill Hicks.
Those running the emergency services each reflected on the day of the crash and its aftermath.
Sussex Police chief constable Giles York said: “It started as a day like any other day. At 1.22pm that all changed.”
He said that his officers, like so many present, “watched in horror and disbelief as the plane came down”.
“The shock of the crash appeared to make time momentarily stand still,” he said but officers “rushed to the crash site dreading what they would find but knowing they must put those fears aside.”
It was, he said, “one of the most challenging scenes ever faced by the emergency services in this county.
“It was clear that many had lost their lives and many others were injured.”
And many more were desperate to know if their loved ones were among them.
He praised the professionalism of the many members of the emergency services who responded, doing what they always do, “making sense out of chaos”.
Mr York said: “The emergency services worked together as one team. Everyone knew their role and just got on with it.
“Always at the heart of this effort has been the overriding passion to support the families of those who tragically died on that day.
“As the chief constable of Sussex Police I am so proud of the compassion showed on and since that day – a day that started as any other day and a day that will be now remembered as a day like no other.”
The chief fire officer of West Sussex, Sean Ruth, said of the 999 crews: “They did what we expect of them.”
He praised “brave members of the public who knew that they needed to help” and he added: “Those firefighters are human beings too.”
He also praised the “teamwork and professionalism” of the blue light services and how many continued to work in the weeks afterwards often in appalling weather.
Paul Sutton, the chief executive of the South East Coast Ambulance Service, described it as “one of the most difficult scenes” where 80 ambulance clinicians and staff were involved.
Off-duty colleagues came to help, he said, and “they worked tirelessly to do what they could for so many”.
He added: “It’s what we do. It’s our job … I could never be more proud – even if they were just doing their job.”
The Bishop of Chichester Martin Warner said: “We come in grief and in love.”
It was, he said, “a day we shall never forget … leaving us with an unanswerable question – why?”
Between them the 11 people we remember today, he said, represent so many qualities, including “the underestimated quality of friendship” and “the vital importance and commitment to family life”.
Dr Warner said: “Here was youth fizzing with vitality … Here were those who had already lived life fully and were ready for more. Here was the wisdom and generosity of old age.
“Our life in Sussex is closely knit. It is essentially a good life set in a marvellous location shared with essentially good people
“Let us value every moment of our existence and the people we live with and among.
“Let us value life in all its rich abundance.
“You were enriched and fulfilled by a person who died at Shoreham on that bleak day.
“This is a moment when grief must blend with love and hope in a celebration of the lives of these 11 men.
“Thank you for everything that you were, Maurice, Dylan, Tony, Matthew, Matt, Graham, Daniele, Mark, Jacob, Richard, Mark.”
He said that some would draw comfort from their Christian beliefs while others might be nearer the the view expressed by the poet Philip Larkin that “what will survive of us is love”.
Dr Warner said: “Love does not die.”
Those who died were wedding chauffeur Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton, retired engineer Graham Mallinson, 72, from Newick, near Lewes, window cleaner and general builder Mark Trussler, 54, from Worthing, cycling friends Dylan Archer, 42, from Brighton, and Richard Smith, 26, from Hove, NHS manager Tony Brightwell, 53, from Hove, grandfather Mark Reeves, 53, from Seaford, Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23, personal trainer Matt Jones, 24, and Daniele Polito, 23, from Worthing.
