Families to remember victims of Shoreham Airshow crash at memorial

Eleven men were killed when a Hawker Hunter jet crashed into the A27 during the airshow.

They were Maurice Abrahams, 76, Tony Brightwell, 53, Matthew Grimstone, Jacob Schilt, and Daniele Polito, all 23, Matt Jones, 24, Graham Mallinson, 72, Mark Reeves, 53, Dylan Archer, 42, Richard Smith, 26, and Mark Trussler, 54, who all lived in Sussex.

Today the families will attend the new memorial to the men, which was completed in May this year, to mark the moment the crash happened – at 1.22pm.

The memorial, on the banks of the River Adur, contains 11 arches, each one serving as a tribute to those who died.

The tribute was funded by donations and relatives were invited to pick the final design.

Artists David Parfitt and Jane Fordham hope it will be somewhere people can reflect on the tragedy.

The four-metre high stainless steel arches stand on a circular marble mosaic containing thousands of pieces next to a bench.

It resembles the outline of the hull of a boat and the arches appear to change colour as they reflect the water, the artists said.

In the days after the crash in August 2015, the toll bridge became the focal point for tributes.

Thousands of flowers were laid there, and the new arches have been built nearby.

Earlier this year, pilot Andy Hill was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter after a trial at The Old Bailey in London.

His defence team had argued that he had suffered “cognitive impairment” from G forces inside the cockpit.

Earlier this month, the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) announced it would not launch a

new investigation into the effects on the pilot inside the cockpit.

It followed a lengthy review, but the AAIB said the findings from its report from 2017 “remain valid”.

A pre-inquest review had been delayed, pending the AAIB review.

Now the West Sussex Coroner’s office has now confirmed a pre-inquest review will be held in Crawley on January 29 next year.