Sixteen years ago

[tiggertastic]

I was graduating that day. I came out of the ceremony to a text about a bomb on a London bus. Then dropping the gown off saw the news.

Then madness of trying to contact friends. One of which had a meeting cancelled that morning or would have been in the Russel Square tube.

[scooby99]

I worked in Central London (Oxford Circus/Regent St area) at the time.
I remember the police instruction that our doors were to be locked, all staff were to remain inside and away from windows as no-one was yet sure what was happening, on what scale & whether those out in the streets may be a target from explosives.

The mobile networks were down but landlines were working.
I remember our managers quickly assembling lists of which of their team members were in the building to give to switchboard so they could tell the panic stricken spouses, partners, family & friends who were flooding us with calls that no, they couldn't put them through to that person as our switchboard was at breaking point but they could confirm that they were safe and in the building.

Then the long walk home that afternoon when given the all-clear to leave as all transport in Central London was suspended.

What I remember most though was a week later when London was asked to go onto the street at noon to convey the message "We are London, we are together, you will never beat us"
Our office closed and we all went out and lined Portland Place; we could see people leaving every other building and doing the same; all traffic stopped where they were, drivers got out and joined us; everyone then joined hands and stood in silence.

The entire street leading onto Regent Street and beyond lined with Londoners shoulder to shoulder, holding hands and conveying that message; very emotional.

[Scaramouche]

I thought the title of this thread was wrong. I can’t comprehend how this was 16 years ago.

Horrendous day. But I find the “I was…. XYZ” stories fascinating. It’s the same with 9/11, because it’s a day where everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing.

I was in school, and we were in either an RE lesson and I don’t know how it came about but I remember my teacher getting up and just turning the news on, the silence in the room then on was deafening.

[Lisa_Lollipop]

It amazes me that this was 16 years ago, time goes so fast.

I remember it well, it was my first week working in London on my professional placement year as part of my degree course (thankfully all the way over in Ealing).

Thinking of those lost and their families today

[Gill H]

Normally I would have been on that tube train. I had a headache, overslept slightly and missed my bus to the tube station. By the time I caught the tube I was already hot and hassled, and as we crawled from Acton to Hammersmith I started to feel sick. So I got off at Hammersmith, phoned work to say I would be late and went for a coffee. By the time I came back the station was shut and I was advised to get the bus home. I got home and turned on the TV … and realised.

[Disney Jo]

16 years has past so quickly, I remember the day so clearly. I was in my office just by Aldgate, news started coming in stating a power surge on the tubes.

Our receptionist and the building manager went to have a look at what all the sirens were all about, myself and another colleague was looking out the window - I never forget them running back round the corner, shouting and waving for everyone to get back from the windows. We shared the building with a bank that used to be visited every hour by armed police to check all was ok (this happened on every normal day), we were quickly evacuated to an empty street and myself and two others started walking back to Essex from the city.

As many others have said, I stood outside the church by Aldgate station a week later, it was boiling hot day and all around was just silence, we stood together for London.

52 innocent lives taken, RIP