I was coming to the end of my time at Stoke House Boarding Prep School in Seaford Sussex.

I remember not being that interested in sports but one boy - a spotty lad with thick glasses called HAY - was such a Man U fan that he burst into floods of tears and we all had to comfort him.

Intrigued by this bizarre loyalty I read up on the team and the crash. It was an early lesson in how something which affects others can be of interest if you examine it closely enough.