Thursday July7th 2005 started as an ordinary day for me and for thousands of other British people too. I had gone into work and after making sure all was set up ready in my class room, I popped along to the Staff room for a quick cup of tea and a chat before the bell rang at 9 o'clock. There were quite a few members of staff there, then Ann one of the Teaching Assistants.. said, ' Listen everyone, something's happening in London, I've just had text message from my husband to tell me he's ok. He's never done that before.' Her husband was a police officer working in London.
We learnt later it was the terrorists' bombings, which killed 52 innocent people all travelling to work that morning, either on a bus or the underground. It was the 20th Anniversary of that horrific event yesterday. Hundreds of people were injured, many losing limbs.
One of the people killed was Jenny and this book 'A Song for Jenny' is written by her mother Julie Nicholson, a C of E priest who was on holiday in N. Wales at the time. The story starts with her watching the horror all unfold on TV, and then her traveling to London to find out what had happened to her daughter. It was 5 days after the bombings, when she learnt Jenny was a victim and dead.
It was heart breaking reading this book as Julie takes us through the agonizing struggle of grief from the moment when Jenny doesn't answer her phone, to the anointing of her body.
Devastatingly honest and courageous, Julie tells of her love and loss as only a mother can.
I don't need to tell you but I sobbed reading this book.. and was sad to learn that Julie resigned from being a C of E priest.
I remember that day vividly. My daughter rang and said "mum I'm all right. I overslept and got a cab for work. The driver just had a radio message to avoid kings Cross, big incident. I'll call when I get to my desk. At that point news hadn't even reached the BBC, and a minute or so later, all mobile phones signals were cut. Daughter rang 10minutes later. She worked in a well known public huilding. Her boss had instructed her to deal with allcalls coming in from anxious relatives asking " has my parent/child/spouse arrived at work OK?« daughters partner, cycling to his job, heard the explosion and came round the corner just after the bus bomb. I too wept, with those grieving mothers
ReplyDeleteThat was a terrible day. We watched it on the news here in Canada, grieving with the people who lost loved ones.
ReplyDeleteThe events of that day feature briefly in one of PD James's Dalgleish crime books (The Private Patient) in relation to the whereabouts of a signatory to a will.
ReplyDeleteIt was a terrible day and my thoughts are with those who are still struggling.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
I remember watching this on the news as well. A terrible thing to happen.
ReplyDeleteSuch a terrible day and so many lives lost in an instant. For those who loved them, each year must be so difficult and especially so on this 20th remembrance year. My thoughts are with all the families.
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