Former Police Inspector Credits God with Giving Him the Strength to Cope With Plane Disaster
Fifty years later: "I was aware of the grace of God to help me to do something I'd never done before. I'd handled dead bodies before, but nothing like this. It's something I remember vividly...I still remember the names of all the dead."
(Isle of Wight, U.K.)—On November 15, 1957, a plane crashed on the Isle of Wight, killing 43 passengers and crew. Two more died shortly after the crash. There were 14 survivors.
Dennis Padwick, now 93-years-old, was the young police inspector at the time who helped rescue survivors and was charged with the job of helping relatives identify their loved ones from the crash. According to a report in Inspire Magazine, Padwick says that although the disaster will be "forever seared" into his memory, he has thanked God "for the inner strength to cope."
Said Padwick: "I was aware of the grace of God to help me to do something I’d never done before. I'd handled dead bodies before, but nothing like this. It’s something I remember vividly...I still remember the names of all the dead. I had help, inner strength from somewhere, to get through it."
On November 18, a 50-year commemoration of the crash will be held in Brook at St. Mary's Church, where people can pray for the families of the victims.
"I think it’s a good idea to commemorate the event," said Padwick. "The vicar of Brook held a service 50 years ago [right] after the crash, and we did set up places where people could pray at the mortuary."
