A SPECIAL service is being held to remember the six schoolchildren and their teacher who died in a tragic bus crash 40 years ago.

Former Ramsey County Primary schoolfriends and family will honour the anniversary at St Michael's Church in the village on Sunday, May 13 at 3pm.

There will be a chance to light a candle, to bring flowers and for some quiet time for reflection.

The service is being organised by former pupil Mandy Lawrence and Jackie Brown, whose 11-year-old son Adrian was killed in the crash.

A group of 14 children from the school were in a minibus, borrowed from the Harwich School, and driven by deputy headmaster Andrew Stubbs.

Another five children were in a car following behind on Stonebridge Hill near Earls Colne, driven by a parent.

They had all been on an adventure weekend at a youth hostel in St Ives, Cambridgeshire and were on their way home when a lorry jack-knifed and hit the minibus.

Adrian Brown, David Bull, Lisa Dawdry, Matthew Griggs, Samantha Smith and Kevin Whitburn along with their teacher Andrew Stubbs all died.

Other children suffered serious injuries.

Mandy, of Ramsey Road, was ten years old at the time and travelling in the car behind.

She said: "I watched it happen.

"It never goes away and it never will.

"You can't imagine being ten and seeing your friends in a very bad way.

"The lorry jack-knifed and the minibus turned around the face us.

"There was no after-help for us, people had the hospital treatment but I know people who have had complete breakdowns.

"I don't think any ten-year-old should have to suffer for years because of what happened when they were little.

"We all felt guilty for being alive when our friends were dead.

"We went to school and carried on and didn't talk about it.

"You cried in private but you didn't want to be seem as making a fuss.

"People would say don't cry and don't talk about it as you'll upset yourself.

"Most of us were not allowed to go to the funeral or were told it was best not to, we did not have the normal goodbyes that people would have the opportunity for."

Mandy, who has three children who all went to school in the village, later got counselling but says the crash has affected everything in her life.

She added: "When your child first goes on a minibus trip - some people didn't let their children go - it was terrifying.

"When your children go on a trip its a lot tougher than anyone knows.

"And it's hard bonding with people in case they get killed."

Jackie and Tony Brown, of Hall Lane, Dovercourt try to reach out to the classmates of their son Adrian who died in the crash.

Mrs Brown, 69, said: "We love to see how they are doing, and we say we are proud of them.

"I've tried to say to people there is no guilt.

"We feel guilty because we didn't take the time off work and offer to go in our car, everyone has their own guilt."

The couple were at home with their younger son Graham, who was seven at the time, when they got a call from the school.

Mr Brown, 72, said: "We got a phone call to say the bus was in an accident and all the children were in Colchester Hospital.

"I went with the father of Matthew Griggs who died, we took blankets as we thought we would be bringing the children home and they would be in shock.

"When we got there the policeman asked me three times who I was and then told me my son had died.

"I was in shock - I will never forget that moment as long as I live."

Back home residents in their road, Mayes Lane, were still unaware of what had happened.

Mrs Brown said: "They hadn't called and hadn't come back.

"A friend living opposite called the police stations at Harwich and Colchester and the hospital and couldn't be told anything.

"The first I knew was when I walked to the door, Tony was walking towards me crying so he didn't have to tell me.

"Even at this stage we knew Adrian and Matthew had died but we didn't know the others had died.

"We were asking what had happened and our friends were calling and trying to find out."

The children were buried side by side in alphabetical order at the village church on May 19.

Memorial services have been held at anniversaries over the past 40 years, given family and schoolfriends a chance to remember their lost loved ones.

Mrs Brown said: "Every year we get a few more that haven't been before."

Everyone is invited to attend the ceremony.