Born locally, in Smithies, Thomas (Tommy) Taylor was in the prime of his life and career as a footballer for both Manchester United and England, when he became one of the eight United players killed in the 1958 Munich Air Disaster. By that time at just 26 years old, Taylor had achieved an incredible amount. The son of a miner, who supposedly sat him down at 14 and told him there was no way he was following him down the pit, he signed for his local club Barnsley in 1949….
