'We cannot allow it to be forgotten' - Events taking place to mark 35th anniversary of Lockerbie bombing
Pan Am flight 103 was blown up over the Dumfries and Galloway town in December 1988
Last updated 29th Jan 2024
It is a day of reflection in Dumfries and Galloway as the region marks 35 years since the Lockerbie bombing.
270 lives were lost when Pan Am flight 103 was blown up on December 21st 1988; all 243 passengers and 16 crew on board the plane as well as 11 residents on the ground, as debris rained down on the town for miles around.
It remains the deadliest terror attack to have ever taken place in the UK.
Although then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi formally accepted responsibility for the attack in 2003, to this day only one man has ever been convicted in connection with the Lockerbie bombing.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi was jailed for life in Scotland in 2001 and released on compassionate grounds in 2009 after being diagnosed with cancer. He died in 2012.
An appeal against his conviction was lodged by his family in 2017, but thrown out by the Court of Criminal Appeal in 2021, with the original verdict upheld.
On the 32nd anniversary of the atrocity, in 2020, the US announced it had filed charges against a Libyan suspected of making the bomb.
Could US trial offer fresh hope for victims' families?
Agila Mohammad Masud is due to go on trial accused of terrorism-related crimes, giving hope to the victims’ families that they could finally have answers into what led to the attack.
Today the 35th anniversary will be marked with a “quiet, considered and low-key event”, organised with help from the Lockerbie community, Dumfries and Galloway Council, school representatives and local authorities.
Firstly a “Blue Service” will be held at Tundergarth Church following the wreath laying at 10am.
The venue has a significant place in the history of the tragedy – it was just metres from the church that Pan Am 103’s nose cone landed in a field following the explosion.
Lori Carnochan is interim chair of the Tundergarth Kirks Trust and works with the Pan Am 103 Lockerbie Legacy Foundation. She told us it is vital what happened on that day, 35 years ago, is never forgotten: “We’re really passionate about educating the next generation because unfortunately, at the moment, we’re at real risk of forgetting what happened here – and we cannot allow that to be forgotten.
“At the moment you learn about World War I, World War II, about the Holocaust, but there’s very little on the educational programmes about what happened here in Lockerbie.
“There are children growing up, teenagers, who don’t know anything about the disaster, and we feel like that’s not fair.”
The foundation has worked to create a Memorial Room at the church where people can come to learn more about what happened and pay their respects.
A modern way to memorialise victims
Lori told us more about it: “What people can now do is they can come in, look at the victims’ photographs, then go on to the computers and learn all about them.
“People can pay tribute, or leave a memory of them, so it’s a really modern day way to memorialise these victims.”
Other events taking place on Thursday to mark the 35th anniversary include Lockerbie Academy’s annual remembrance assembly, which will include rose laying and readings from pupils.
A small number of pupils will then take part in a rose laying ceremony at Dryfesdale Cemetery at 11.30am.
Wreaths while also be laid at Sherwood Crescent, where 11 residents were killed when Pan Am flight 103 came down, and at Rosebank Crescent, where the body of the bombed plane ended up.
Lockerbie Town Hall will also be open from 10am until 8pm, with light refreshments available.
First Minister joins tributes ahead of 35th anniversary
Speaking on the 35th anniversary of the Lockerbie air disaster, First Minister Humza Yousaf said:
“On the anniversary of the terrible events of 21 December 1988 in Lockerbie, my thoughts and sympathies remain with all those who lost loved ones on board Pan Am Flight 103 and those in the town of Lockerbie.
“My thoughts are also with the emergency workers who responded in the immediate aftermath of the atrocity. Their rapid response along with the people of Lockerbie while facing extraordinary circumstances demonstrated extreme kindness and humanity in the face of such horrific events.
“While those lost on that night can never be replaced, and the events have had a lasting impact on the town, I know links were forged following the disaster between Lockerbie and other communities that continue to this day, including the Syracuse University scholarship programme with Lockerbie Academy. The strength and compassion that both the victims’ families and the community of Lockerbie have shown has created a legacy of friendship and ensured that the memory of those who died lives on.”