SEPTEMBER 12, 1963

A plane crash in the Pyrenees killed all on board.

Three dozen holidaymakers and a crew of four perished when a Colne chartered holiday airliner, flying to Perpignon in Southern France crashed during a violent storm.

The passengers had booked for an all-in 12-day sunshine tour on the Costa Brava through Lions Tours, which was based in Church Street, Colne and run by Jim and Sheila Preston, of Nelson.

The twin engined Viking, belonging to the French airline Airnautic, left Gatwick at 9pm, the previous evening and should have landed in Perpignon four hours later.

Search planes went up at first light today, when the plane was several hours late and one reported seeing wreckage 5,000 ft up on the Roc de la Rouquette mountain, near the village of Py.

A team of parachutists were the first on the scene, but reported the plane had caught fire and there were no survivors.

Rescue teams were hampered by rain and fog, which had created ‘appalling conditions’, reported during the plane’s mountainous last leg of its flight.

Mr and Mrs Preston were on the continent when the tragedy happened, but were keeping in close touch with their office.

The front page image showed Lions Tours headquarters on Colne’s main road, which were above Wooster’s decorating shop and the Savings Bank.

In other news, Scotland Yard issued the name of another man they wanted to interview in connection with the Great Train Robbery – police were looking for Ronald Christopher Edwards, better known as ‘Buster’.

BBC viewers were also preparing for serious evenings in front of the TV, after the broadcaster announced 10 weeks of adult education.