Devastating scenes as families gather to remember 11 dead on Shoreham air disaster anniversary

TRIBUTES were today laid at a wooden tollbridge to remember the 11 men killed in the Shoreham air disaster on the fire anniversary of the crash.

Men, women and children arrived with flowers to pay their respects on the Shoreham Tollbridge, close to the A27 crash site in West Sussex.

It became a community focal point immediately after the disaster, and was filled with thousands of flowers, flags, banners and messages.

Today, exactly 12 months on, people were gathering there again ahead of a minute's silence at 1.22pm - the precise time the vintage Hawker Hunter jet crashed during the Shoreham Airshow.

One floral tribute, from the Shoreham Airshow, carried a message saying they "stood with the local community in sorrow".

Names of the 11 who died when the 1950s plane came down in front of thousands of spectators last August 22 were read by the Rev Canon Ann Waizeneker.

Victims families watched as flowers were laid, while emergency service officers and civic leaders joined the emotional tributes.

Flags flew at half-mast at civic buildings across West Sussex in the memory of those who died.

Lesley Polito, whose 23-year-old son Daniele was among the 11 who died, said the passing of time has not made her loss any easier.

The mum, from Worthing, said: "The last year I couldn't put into words. It's been a roller coaster. We try to celebrate Daniele for all the good, fun things but it's a living nightmare. It's all surreal."

Caroline Schilt, whose Worthing United footballer son Jacob, 23, died, said some solace came from sharing the pain.

She said: "It's lovely for the families to share in this awful thing in a strange sort of way."

Lesley and Caroline were among victims' relatives who attended a service on Saturday at Grade I-listed St Mary de Haura Church in Shoreham.

Eleven altar candles were lit by family members before the names of those killed were read out and prayers said to remember the lost lives.

The Rev Terry Stratford, associate priest of St Mary de Haura, said the community still shared "a sense of loss and bewilderment".

Families touched by the disaster felt constant pain at still not knowing the full story behind how their loved ones were killed, he said.

The reverend added: "The difficulty is we still don't have an outcome, we don't know the reasons why, officially, yet.

"We are looking for those reasons to be made public. Unfortunately we might not know for quite a long time, but let us hope that the process is done properly."

The disaster was the deadliest at a British airshow since the 1952 Farnborough crash when a de Havilland DH.110 hit spectators, killing 31.

Sussex Police Chief Constable Giles York said: "The tragedy of the Shoreham air crash still has significant impact for the families who lost loved ones, as well as their friends and across many communities in Sussex, not least the people of Shoreham itself.

"Our thoughts have not strayed from them during this past year and we remain committed to finding answers for them as to how and why this dreadful thing happened."

South East Coast Ambulance Service acting chief executive Geraint Davies said it was an "extremely challenging" incident, but staff acted with "utmost professionalism".

West Sussex County Council leader Louise Goldsmith said: "Today is a time to remember those who lost their lives and their families, and to remember the courage and dedication of the emergency services and all those who helped in the aftermath of the tragedy."

Thousands of cards and messages left at the tollbridge after the crash have been dried out and now form part of an archive available to view online.

West Sussex county archivist Wendy Walker said: "We think it is the first time that an archive of this kind has been preserved in this way."

It emerged last month that the pilot, Andrew Hill, 52, is being investigated over possible manslaughter by gross negligence.

He has been questioned voluntarily under caution by police.

Sussex Police last month applied to the High Court to see "protected records" held by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

Police want access to copies of reports relating to human factors, engineering, tests and speed calculations as well as film footage of the flight, records of interviews with Mr Hill and a risk assessment report.

Two compensation claims have so far been settled with the owners of the plane, according to Stewarts Law, the firm representing some of the victims' families.

The disaster prompted the Civil Aviation Authority to ground all Hawker Hunter aircraft and ban vintage jets from performing aerobatics over land.

A preliminary report in March revealed the organisers of the air show did not know Mr Hill's intended routine.

It was not possible for officials to identify potential hazards before the event without being aware of where the pilot would fly, the special bulletin stated.

David Miller, acting chief inspector of air accidents, said: "Today marks the first anniversary of the Shoreham air display accident, the worst in the UK since the Farnborough Airshow in 1952. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy."

A full report into the crash is expected to be released by the AAIB later this year.

This year's Shoreham Airshow was cancelled out of respect for victims and their families.

The 11 men who died were:
Wedding chauffeur Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton; retired engineer James 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.

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