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(left to right: Paul
Windridge, Duncan Edwards' Mum, Mick
Meade)
Four of us were invited along to meet with Helen
Viollet prior to the Munich
Testimonial game, I had paid a visit to the Viollets during
a family holiday in the US this June. It had been an emotional
visit as not only did I meet with a United great but the circumstances
made it all the more poignant.
The afternoon of the Testimonial we met in the Copthorne Hotel
on Salford Quays during the late afternoon. In a back room a group
of Manchester
United legends were enjoying a meal and reminiscing about the
Babes who we
were all there to honour.
Dennis Viollet
unfortunately was too ill to attend and stayed behind in
Jacksonville with his daughter Rachel.
Helen had decided to wrench herself away from her husband and
make the trip on his behalf. Dennis is undertaking a course of
oral chemotherapy to counteract a tumour on the brain. He was
badly injured in the Munich crash and when Harry
Gregg pulled him from the wreckage he had a bad
gash to the head.
Dennis recovered from the crash to become United's record scorer.
He was a graceful centre-forward who went on to play for Stoke
City before taking up coaching posts in the US where he has been
honoured with the freedom of the city of Jacksonville.
That afternoon in the Copthorne we met a number of ex United players
who had been our heros. We also met with
Mrs Edwards, Duncan's mum. Duncan
Edwards was arguably the greatest player
ever to pull on the Red shirt and at the time of his death in
the hospital in Munich he had been the youngest ever England international.
Mrs Edwards is a lovely character - sprightly way beyond her years
and it was a real thrill to have the opportunity to pose for a
photograph with her
- she seemed to enjoy it too!
Copyright © Paul Windridge 1998
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(left to right: Paul
Windridge, Ray Wood, Karl Smith,
Mick Meade)
This photograph was taken with Ray
Wood the United goalkeeper badly injured in the
FA Cup Final of 1956. The Villa forward Peter MacParland clattered
into Wood and broke his cheekbone. The challenge remarkably went
unpunished despite the fact that Wood had hold of the ball at the
time of the impact.
Jackie Blanchlower
went in goal, United were down to ten men and despite a late fightback,
lost the game 2-1. Despite his appalling injury Ray went back in
goal late on to allow Blanchflower to resume at halfback. To me
and
every other true Red, Ray Wood has always been special for that.
In my opinion MacParland deliberately injured Ray, it was the only
way Aston Villa could have prevented United from taking the Double
that year.
The other person I will most remember from that afternoon is Roger
Byrne. I had a brief chat with him as we waited
to leave. It was an uncanny experience talking to the son of the
father he never met. Roger Byrne was the cultured captain of that
great Manchester United team in the fifties
and his son is the image of him.
It was a great privilege to have been there and many thanks must
go to Helen for arranging the meeting.
Copyright © Paul Windridge 1998
(Webmaster Note: At the time these photos were
taken, Karl Smith & Paul Windridge were the only supporters
to have visited the Viollets since Dennis became ill.)
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