A former soldier who served in the Grenadier Guards and Parachute Regiment is feared to have been among those who died at the Shoreham air disaster.
Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton, is believed to have been killed on his way to collect a bride and bring her to her wedding in a vintage Daimler limousine
Mr Abrahams’s family described him yesterday as a well-respected and loved father and husband who enjoyed gardening and chauffeuring his “beloved” Daimler.
He served in Cyprus and Bahrain with the United Nations and worked as a police officer for Hampshire police when he was in his thirties.
Mr Abrahams was heading to pick up Rebecca Sheen from her home in Goring-by-Sea to marry Rajendran Asekaran at Findon Manor in Findon, West Sussex. Ms Sheen’s father said that the couple did not know why her car had not arrived until he discovered a picture of the wreckage on his iPhone.
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The family of a young father who has been missing since the crash insisted yesterday that there was no proof that he had been killed. Daniele Polito, 23, was a passenger in the car of his colleague, Matt Jones, 24, who was confirmed by his family to have died in the fireball. They are thought to have been heading to the beach.
Mr Polito’s mother-in-law, Ruth Cox, whose daughter has a son with Mr Polito, said on Facebook: “Daniele Polito is still missing — he was with Matt Jones on their way back from work when the plane crashed.” Marina Polito, who is believed to be Daniele’s sister, said on Facebook: “Nothing has been confirmed that Daniele is gone.”
Speaking from the family’s home in Littlehampton, West Sussex, Mr Jones’s mother, Hazel, said: “Matt was an adventurer. He was outgoing. He was the life and soul of the party.
“Last year he went to Australia travelling around and worked in various places. He liked sky-diving, scuba diving. He was a real adrenaline junkie.”
Mr Jones’s father, Stephen, said: “Due to the catastrophic nature of the accident on Saturday, police have told me it may be a couple of weeks before we can arrange Matt’s funeral.”
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Friends of Mark Trussler, 49, the missing motorcyclist, described him as having a heart of gold. Hazel Mayes, who used to live downstairs from Mr Trussler, told the Daily Mirror: “We heard he was missing. It’s a massive shock. He was a really funny bloke. A real jack-the-lad type character.”
The hunt went on for individuals believed to have been near the scene. Danny Minter, 41, was trying yesterday to track down two people who helped his parents after their BMW broke down on the A27 before the crash.
Mr Minter, from Lancing in West Sussex, said on social media: “They’re trying to find two cars. One was a black BMW or Audi and the driver stopped to offer him water for the car, and the other car was a blue MPV with a mum and children.
“If you know who these are could you please comment just to check that you are OK. Both of these cars are stuck in the minds of my parents. Thank you.”
On Sunday, Jacob Schilt and Matthew Grimstone,23, who died when the Vauxhall Corsa they were in was crushed by the aircraft.