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United coach remembered

13/ 2/2008

COMMUNITY figures fell silent to honour a Tameside footballer who died in the Munich air disaster.

Senior registrar Mike Gurney joined councillors to remember Bert Whalley who was a coach for Manchester United at the time of the disaster.

Ashton resident Bob Fell, who carried Mr Whalley’s coffin 50 years ago, also paid his respects.

Mr Whalley, who lived on Portugal Street, Ashton, was a much-respected figure in Tameside and Mr Fell, 70, was a member of a youth club he ran in Trafalgar Square.

"He was a really nice fella. We all called him Bert, that’s how well we got on with him. That appalled my mother because she wanted me to call him Mr Whalley," said Mr Fell, a former science teacher.

"Everybody knew Bert. When you were walking down the street with Bert, everyone would stop to talk to him. It would take you half an hour to walk 100 yards!

"The thing that stuck in my head about that time (the Munich disaster) was, not only that day but for approximately a week after, how quiet everybody was. Everybody was thinking about it but didn’t want to speak about it.

"On the day of the funeral we went up Stockport Road and there were crowds lining the streets all the way along. All the way to Dukinfield, all down King Street there were crowds, it was like the Whit walks, but there wasn’t a sound."

Councillor Brian Wild laid the wreath at Dukinfield crematorium on behalf of the town’s District Assembly and the Rev Colin McIlwaine did a short service and sang a verse of Manchester Flowers.