Sir, - I would be obliged if you could publish this letter to help me contact the relatives of any victims of the first Aer Lingus air crash, the 50th anniversary of which will occur on January 10th 2002. The plane, a Dakota named the St Kevin, crashed en route from Northolt Airport, England to Dublin in the Snowdonia area of North Wales.
I would like to enlist the help of any of the victims' families who may be interested in organising a memorial service, probably in Dublin.
The names of some of those who died are as follows, although the list may not be exhaustive: Dr James Gaffney, Dublin; Arthur Whiteside, Dublin; William Good, Dublin; Thomas Carroll, New York, formerly of Co Cork; John F. Stacpoole, Co Cork; Henry Richardson, Dublin; Gerald Townley Fitzgerald, Dublin; Miss Joan Kiely, Dublin; Dr Daniel O'Donovan, Dublin; Emile Stone, South Africa (medical student, Dublin); Miss Evelyn Belton, Dublin; Miss P.M. Noakes, Berkshire; John Benson, Dublin; Miss Lily Wenman, Dublin; Captain Richard Laker, Surrey; Mrs Laker and their daughter Melody; William Arthur Lynch, New York; Capt A.J. Keohane, Dublin; Mr W.A. Newman, Dublin; and Miss Deirdre Sutton, Neville and Rosalind Aston of 7 Ramleh Villas, Milltown, Dublin.
The latter couple were my aunt and uncle and were also related to a family named Charles from Dublin. The memorial service for the deceased would take the form of an ecumenical remembrance as the passengers were of varying religious denominations - one at least was Jewish.
If any of your readers know of any of the people involved, I would appreciate them contacting me. - Yours, etc.,
Mrs Gloria Binions, Derrivreen House, Killane, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.
hurbi@eircom.net