Football
Rob Dawson, Correspondent 6y

Munich survivor Harry Gregg: Football saved me in tragedy's aftermath

Munich survivor Harry Gregg has said it was not until he learned of the death of Manchester United teammate Duncan Edwards that the impact of the crash hit home.

Edwards died 15 days after the crash on Feb. 6, 1958 to bring the number killed in the tragedy to 23, including eight of United's Busby Babes.

Goalkeeper Gregg, who said football "saved me from losing my mind" in the aftermath of the disaster, was hailed as a hero for going back into the plane to help other injured passengers.

But he said it was not until more than two weeks later that the scale of what had happened began to sink in.

"I hid from the press and I refused to read newspapers," the 85-year-old told Scandinavian supporters' magazine United-Supporteren.

"I did not want to read a single word about the crash, but one day my wife had forgotten to clear them away.

"I opened the newspaper carefully and saw that Duncan had died.

"That's when I cried for the first time after the crash. Actually, the first time since I was a little boy.

"I didn't cry because Duncan meant more than the others, but with his death the tragedy hit me again. It was too much to bear."

Gregg, who will be back at Old Trafford on Tuesday for a service to mark 60 years since the tragedy, was able to play in United's first game after Munich, a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup fifth round on Feb. 19.

There had been speculation that the club would have to fold, but Gregg said his day job was the only thing that kept him going in the immediate aftermath.

"We had no professionals to talk to," he added. "No emergency response team, no psychologists.

"Football was what saved me from losing my mind. Football and training was the reason I didn't snap."

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