Cycle to Syracuse

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 2 October 2018.

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Photo of Finlay Carson Finlay Carson Conservative

I thank Oliver Mundell for securing this evening’s important debate. It is a subject that is important to many of my colleagues and many of my constituents. Each year, private remembrance events take place in Dumfries and Galloway and across the USA, most of which we are unaware of as we go about our daily lives.

It is 30 years on but, as someone who was living in Dumfries and Galloway on the night of 21 December 1988, that night will always stay with me. I had just turned 21, and I clearly remember the evening. I arrived in the King’s Arms after an evening with the young farmers, and we were met by the news that a plane had crashed in Lockerbie. We all thought that it was a joke, but then the pictures started to come through. People asked whether it was one of the many low-flying military jets that we often experienced, but it soon became apparent that it was much bigger than that.

I remember sitting up through the night with a good friend, Ian Lynsday, who tried in vain to get through to his brother who lived near Sherwood Crescent—all the telephone lines were down. That brought the horror home; it was a disaster unfolding in front of us. Of course, there were no mobile phones and I remember the tension from the lack of news.

We now know that it was not a military jet or a simple plane crash. It was Pan Am flight 103—a transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via London and New York—which was brought down by a terrorist bomb that killed all 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground. It had a huge impact on people right across Dumfries and Galloway and few families were not touched by the events.

Willie Johnston, who has just retired after 35 years as a BBC reporter with Radio Solway, arrived on the scene only hours after the explosion. His contribution is still clear in my mind. As well as telling the news of what had happened and of the aftermath, his was the voice that provided a vital information link from the authorities to the community.

My cousin, Gordon McKnight—who joined the police force shortly before Colin Dorrance—was only four months into the job when he was stationed in the town hall, which served as the initial mortuary. He travelled the 86 miles from Stranraer every day for a 16-hour shift. It was a hugely traumatic eye-opener for a young cop who had seen only a few bodies before then. He became the area inspector for the Lockerbie area and, 27 years after the event, the memories of those dark days are still very much there for him.

The local police force, which is the smallest in Scotland, and the local community, local authority, emergency services and support workers made a huge effort on the ground, which I know will never be forgotten by the families who were hit by the tragedy. Colin Dorrance was on site as a policeman 30 years ago. At the time, he was the youngest policeman in the whole of Scotland. Colin has taken the lead on the cycle to Syracuse, which is a community initiative instigated by the people and services in Lockerbie to remember all those who were lost, to honour the community and emergency services response and to show support for all who suffered in the times that followed.

To mark the 30th anniversary, four emergency service cyclists and the Lockerbie academy headteacher will complete the journey that the 35 Syracuse students never completed. The challenge over 3,238 miles from here in Scotland and across the United States will finish at Syracuse university. It will help to raise funds for Soul Soup, a charity that is based in the region and does excellent work to help young people who have mental health problems. Such challenges and fundraising ideas are the positive legacy of such an horrendous event—people come together and help others in their greatest time of need. Nowhere epitomises that spirit better than Lockerbie and across Dumfries and Galloway. Yet again, we have people going above and beyond to help other individuals.

I wish the cycling team the very best of success with their cycle ride and I encourage everyone to get behind such a wonderful cause. As Oliver Mundell said, the motto goes, “Forward Lockerbie”.