Today August 11th 2023, I finally found closure on a significant episode in my professional career as a nurse. I was able to view the Memorial Stone, currently being stored in the Embassy workshop, waiting to be installed in the sunken garden, that is located close to the Residency of the British Embassy, Addis Ababa. An appointment was made with Ms Emily Summers of the Embassy, who, along with Harriet, has been responsible for the preparation of the Memorial. Visiting the Embassy was very different in many ways, security walls and gates now isolate the compound from the outside world. However, once inside the tight security cordon, the grounds are peaceful and much the same as in the 1970s. When I last visited the Embassy security was less intense, low walls separated the compound from a busy road. The compound remains a beautiful oasis in the midst of a noisy metropolis. Here I was able to pay my personal respects to the deceased and make my peace.

I am a retired Senior Lecturer in Nursing Studies, living near Newcastle upon Tyne. I was fortunate to hear a trail during the Today programme for the Life Changing programme made by Harriet Ware Austin. It took me back to a period when I played a small part in the aftermath of the air crash, but it had been unresolved for me.... In early April 1972, I returned to Addis Ababa to take up my post as a locally recruited Nurse in Charge of Operating Theatres and Surgical Clinics with The All Africa Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre (ALERT). Having completed a two years placement at the hospital, as a volunteer nurse with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). The ALERT hospital is located on the south western fringe of Addis Ababa. On the 18th April, 1972 during my lunch break, I became aware of a large pall of black smoke rising into the sky in the direction of the airport. At first, I wondered about the cause. I soon learned that an aircraft had crashed during take-off and that all casualties had been taken to the Empress Zauditu, Seventh Day Adventist Hospital, for treatment. This was a recently opened newly built hospital, based on American type wards and training. As a VSO Nurse, I had a prior connection with the hospital having assisted with an operation there and worked closely with staff in their operating theatres. My shift finished at around 3:00 pm, so decided to go to the ‘Zauditu’ Hospital, realising that the hospital facilities would probably be overwhelmed by the number of injured patients. The main gates were locked and guards were keeping crowds away. After a wait, I was able to speak to an administrator. After explaining my previous connection to the hospital, I offered to help in the operating theatre or in whatever way was needed. I was told they were coping and didn’t need help. Instead, I was asked to donate a unit of blood. After doing this, I returned to my flat in the ALERT hospital compound. Around 1:00 a.m. I was awakened by a phone call from the Medical Director of ALERT. He was speaking from the Zauditu Hospital and had spoken to Morag Ross the British Embassy Doctor. She was working on the trauma ward and asking for help to care for two severely burned patients. He asked if I could go to the hospital immediately and help out. On arrival, I found the ward was something akin to a war zone, with 6 patients in one room. I was delegated responsibility for two patients in adjacent beds. ’Caroline’, a British Girl aged 14 years, and an elderly Asian woman aged 60 +, I never learned her name. Each had suffered very severe burns to their whole body. I realised my responsibility was to maintain their intravenous drips to prevent shock and ensure sufficient hydration to prevent kidney failure, monitoring blood pressure and urinary output whilst keeping pain under control. Fortunately, before I volunteered with VSO, I had gained some experience of caring for people with severe burns at the Burns Unit of Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield. This experience proved invaluable and enabled me to provide the necessary level of support to my patients. Leaving the ward around 9:00 a.m. I returned to my flat to sleep. Waking around 5:00 p.m. I found a note had been slipped under my door, asking me not to return to the 'burns ward' but to contact Dr Ernest Fritschi, the surgeon at ALERT. He advised me that the British Embassy was arranging for an evacuation flight, using a BOAC plane. They wanted the Embassy Doctor, Morag Ross, Doctor Fritschi and myself to accompany the casualties on the flight. He said we should plan for an eight hours flight and identify the essential equipment needed to safely support patients during the flight. Following this discussion, I spent the evening at the operating theatre, packing and sterilising equipment we had agreed we would need. After completing this exercise, I returned to my flat and received a message that there was a change of plan and we would not be escorting the casualties. The British Embassy had secured the use of a RAF Medivac airplane. This would be arriving early the next morning. Could I help with the transfer of the burned patients to the airport? ALERT had a small ambulance. Mr Peter Hill, manager of the specialist shoe workshop, drove this to the Zauditu Hospital. On arrival we were asked to transfer two patients, these were the same patients I had supported during my night shift. The RAF Medical Officer and Senior Nurse had visited the Zauditu hospital to assess the needs, after consulting with the senior pilot they agreed they should take off before 9:00 a.m. local time, any delays would keep them grounded as the crew would be required to complete a mandatory rest period. Arriving at Bole International Airport, we were ushered alongside the RAF VC10 hospital plane. After helping our patients onto the platform hoist and into the body of the plane, I joined others at the boundary, waiting to see the plane take off. Watching the take-off was an amazing experience, I was so proud to be British. I later learned the flight had been diverted to Cyprus where some casualties had been transferred to flights to other European countries. A new crew took over the fight onwards to Brize Norton, Oxfordshire Unfortunately, there was no debriefing for me and I received no feedback from the British Embassy regarding the outcome of the flight or the recovery of the patients I cared for. Living at the ALERT Compound, we had little contact with others in the British Community and had no access to newspapers, TV, depending on RVOG for an English Newscast in the evening, I was therefore unaware of outcomes until I listened to Harriet’s account on the radio. Subsequently, we have exchanged emails and had a long telephone conversation.

This picture reminds me of many happy visits we made to the various lakes including Langano, Awasa and Debra Zeit as a family. It's my two younger brother's Chris & Ken with our father Jack Townsend. Most likely the picture was taken by my mother. Very often we would meet other families there with children of similar ages making it a great place to meet and make new friends. Some we already knew because of links between our fathers work others we simply met at the place and learned more about their background later. As Harriet describes in her memory the holidays were a great rush of anticipation and enjoyment at being together again and then the dread of that moment of parting which always seemed to come around really quickly.

I was able to return to the UK for the 50th anniversary of the tragedy and attended the Easter Day service at Berkswell parish church where my brothers funeral was held and where they are both buried. Some how it seemed fitting to start the 50th anniversary year celebrating the Easter Story with all its message of hope in the face of dreadful adversity. The rector and congregation were kind enough to pray for all those who had experienced sudden loss through accidents in general and mentioned the loss of Christopher and Kenneth specifically and the wider family who were able to join. I was pleased that several others who had been contemporaries of Chris and Ken were also able to attend and remember them as well. Thanks to all who were able to join us. This is the moment in the Easter service during intercessory prayers when we and other families who had lost loved ones in tragic circumstances were remembered. Astonishingly one of the parishioners who has been attending Berkswell parish church for the last 8 years is actually a survivor of the same accident. I had the privilege of meeting him after the service. He had written up his account of events that day as part of an article in the November parish magazine but neither of us knew of the link between ourselves until the day of the service itself.