Main content

The Remarkable Ernest

On 4th May 1949 Ernest Erbstein was travelling back with the all conquering Torino football team he managed from a friendly game in Lisbon. However the plane they were travelling in crashed into the retaining wall of the Basilica of Superga, in Turin. 31 people, including Erbstein, lost their lives.

To mark the anniversary Caroline Barker has been finding out from Dominic Bliss, the author of "Erbstein: The triumph and tragedy of football's forgotten pioneer" about a man who survived the Holocaust only to be killed with his team in an air crash.

PHOTO: A vintage postcard issued to commemorate the air crash which claimed the lives of many Torino football players and officials, 4th May 1949. (CREDIT: Popperfoto/Getty Images)

Release date:

Duration:

5 minutes