St. Albans Tragedy 1985
The city's worst nightmare
By David Lasky
For the 1985 Whitsun half term holiday Verulam and Beaumont Schools jointly organised a water sports trip to France with a specialist tour operator. Travel from St. Albans was by coach, then canoeing on the Ardeche followed by sailing and windsurfing in the Mediterranean.
Unfortunately, on the morning of the 29th May during the coach journey between the Ardeche and the Mediterranean the driver had a stroke and a brain haemorrhage, which resulted in the coach crashing and overturning at Egremont near Ledignan. Killed in the accident were three boys from Verulam School, Stephen Eke, Duncan Halsted and Matthias Lasky, two girls from Beaumont School, Ann Morris and Jackie Francis and a young teacher from St. Albans Girl’s School, Barbara Ericsson, who was helping on the trip; the driver also died.
The majority of the children were hurt: the badly injured were hospitalised between Montpellier and Nimes hospitals. As a result of the prompt help from the local villagers and the speedy action of the local fire brigade many lives were saved.
The Mayor of St Albans at this time, Robert Donald, within a few hours managed to arrange a special flight for all the parents to travel to the children in France. While in France the mayors of towns local to the crash, such as Ales, Ledignan, Montpellier and Nimes arranged accommodation for all of the families who travelled from St. Albans.
The French community erected a memorial stele near the spot on the road where the accident took place and for the following decade held an annual ceremony there. Even now the stele is still tended by the local commune.
Memorial Oak & stone in Vintry Garden
Here in St. Albans a service was held in the Abbey and a thirteen year old oak tree was planted (thirteen being the average age of the children who died) in the Vintry Gardens with a memorial plaque. This plaque has since been replaced by an inscribed granite block. Memorials have also been erected in Verulam and Beaumont schools.
Inscribed Stone in Vintry Garden