7/7 - where were you?

[CuppaTeaAndAJammieDodger]

Just realised it's the 7th anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings tomorrow.

I haven't thought about that day for some time now, but for a long time after there wasn't much else I could think about. Here's my recollection of the day.

I was on my way to a primary school outside of London to do some user testing for a course my company had developed and was en route between Bethnal Green, where I lived, and Waterloo.

I walked in to Liverpool Street Station and down in to the ticket area of the tube and made my way on to the eastbound platform just as a circle line train was pulling in. I was running pretty early so decided to grab a can of coke to wake me up from the kiosk on the platform, and let that train go by without me. Not long after the train had fully left the station there was a whooshing sound, soon followed by (which really stayed with me) a smell of burning (plastic or something).

A kind of controlled panic ensued, nobody knew what had happened, we all started getting off the platform as quickly as possible and the staff were ushering everyone out of the station. by the time I managed to get outside the emergency services were arriving. I had no idea what to do so just started walking to Waterloo, desperately trying to get a news feed up on my phone to see what was going on (this was 2005 - no smart phones back then!) but couldn't. It wasn't until I arrived at Waterloo that I found out what had happened and was told that I could leave London, but I wouldn't be getting back in today, so I decided to cancel the testing, make my way home and work from there.

I started to make my way, again on foot (public transport had obviously completely shut down), but every street I walked down seem to be being cordoned off by the police and I found myself walking further and further trying to find a route, then it started raining. Finally I managed to get to Bethnal Green Road after walking for what felt like hours, my mum managed to get through to me on my mobile after hours of trying, as soon as I heard her voice I just sat down on the curb and started crying - the gravity of the situation just hit me.

Took me a while to realise that that decision to have a can of coke could have potentially saved my life (dependent on what carriage I'd got on of course) - the ironic thing is I don't drink the stuff any more as I can't have caffeine due to panic attacks/anxiety issues.

Wow - that was long, sorry if I've bored you to death! That was the first time I've written down in detail what happened that day, rather cathartic really.

Interested to hear your memories of the day.

I was on the tube just in front of the Piccadilly line on which was blown up.

I used to take the Piccadilly line down from Wood Green, and either change at Kings Cross onto the Circle line or change at Holborn onto the Central line before getting off at either Bayswater or Queensway for work.

I remember the tube stopped abruptly in the tunnel for quite a while, before limping into the next station ? Holborn. We were told that the tube network was suffering a power failure and that all lines were affected. We were ushered upstairs and out at street level.

I couldn't seem to get a bus, neither could I get a signal on my mobile to tell work I was going to be late. First I walked to Oxford circus to try and get on a central line, but all stations were closed. Eventually I ended up walking to work, feeling quite pissed off with London transport. So far, so not that unusual...

It wasn't until I got to work that I found out what had happened. A girl in my team had actually been on the Edgware Road tube, but a few carriages down from the bomb. She had also walked into work, but was covered in soot/grime and was clearly in a state of shock. She'd come in to work because she didn't know what else to do. Someone took her to hospital, she was ok, but hasn't been on a tube since, and subsequently moved out of London.

No-one could get hold of anyone. My then boyfriend, (now DH) was also working in central London. Most of the day was spent trying to track down everyone we knew who had reason to be on a tube/bus that day and trying to let people know we were ok. My Dad was in hospital dying of cancer, and I couldn't get hold of my mum to let her know I was fine, or find out how he was...

About 4pm we all left work, and walked home. It took about 3 hours. It was weird, London was very quiet, but full of people walking. No buses, few cabs. Lots of police. No-one saying anything. Very weird.

So many tiny things which conspired to mean that I wasn't on either of those tubes, the Piccadilly line one or the Circle line one, when they were both on my route and I could very easily have been on either of them, and when the bombs went off at the time I was usually travelling. It's sobering and chilling how things might have been so different.

I still live in London. I still use the tube. I take my children on the tube from time to time. I do feel differently about it than I did, though. I am more vigilant as a matter of course. I see something I don't like the look of, I get off, wait for the next train. I care less about being a bit late.

But London keeps on going. Always has, always will. I love this city.

db
xx

On a bus on the Strand on the way to the Transport Museum in Covent Garden with the barely 2 year old boy that I was nannying for at the time. Was amazed at how quickly word spread, even sitting on a bus without tv or radio. At the time no one really new what was happening and once I realised that we weren't going anywhere I got us off the bus and started heading for home in West London. I got a phonecall from DH (who was then DP) telling me that he had heard that loads of bombs had gone off on buses all over London so not to get onto one.
I remember walking through Trafalgar Square with this little boy wrapped around the front of me and all of these people running frantically about me. All of a sudden I had the most intense feeling come over me, that if anyone came near me I would KILL THEM to keep that little boy safe. I have never felt that way before or since, it was like an animal inside me. Afterwards I remember wondering how I would have felt if he was my own.
I also could not believe that with all of the occupied taxis going past not one would stop to pick up a young girl and baby. We made it through to the Mall and then onto the parks. Little J walked all the way from St James' Park to Kensington.... dragging a branch and singing most of the way. Ignorance is bliss.

Was at work in Slough, we had a crowd of customers stood around the cash desk all listening to the radio we had on. I just remember the absolute silence apart from the radio.

I went to work in Waterloo early. Colleagues not turning up so tuned in to the net and info was slowly emerging. My mobile would'n't work so couldn't call anyone. We had one landline that seemed to work but we got in the students from the international student hostel next door so they could all call home. Late morning my df got through to me and he managed to get through to my dh.

Started walking home at about 3pm. Walked past Euston and what got me the entire world's press was there - journalists - all quiet and great big satellite dishes all pointing down the road to tavistock square where you could see the remains of the bus.

Streets full of quiet walking people and pubs spilling out with people talking about it and making new friends. People helping each other in terms of how to get home.

After a few hours of walking I got to hamsptead and managed to get hold of dh and he picked me up. Was knackered and quiet.

I was on holiday in the Ile de Re.

It was buzzing round the campsite that something had happpened but not what!, took about an hour to contact home, to find out what had happened,

I was teaching Reception class and lots of crying mums came straight into class demanding to take their children home. (Lots of dad's work abroad and mums just panicked.) We knew nothing but quickly the Head said let the children go home if their parents are here. We had a quick briefing and were told the news. So lovely that people wanted their children safe in a mad situation.

I was on the northern line, was about 26 weeks travelled into Warren Street where no escalators etc were working. Worked on 26th floor Euston Tower and heard and saw the smoke from the bus bomb. Spent rest of the day answering phones and telling relatives that colleagues were ok. Could not get hold of DH who was near Bank. We eventually got into contact and met under the pedestrian bridge on the South Bank. This is now our emergency meeting point should anything go wrong. I walked from Waterloo to work for about a week after as was too scared to go on the tube. Two weeks after, was in the cordon for the failed bomb at Warren Street, evacuated again and met at our Emergency Meet point.

bisjo, wow. So sorry.

At a toddler group with DS2. There was a ripple of realisation as phones started ringing and people started crying / frantically phoning relatives and friends to check they were ok.

I was very relieved that DH had moved jobs out of London (previously went through Kings Cross and bus through Tavistock Square sometimes) and that I still had a month of maternity leave or could have been at Kings Cross too.

Almost forgot, so caught up reading everyone's stories, that we discovered later that the bombers had travelled on dh's train. I remember being strangely angry about that, thinking 'wtf? What kind of terrorists commute, FFS?' Odd detail to focus your anger on but I suppose I just needed something to distract me from thinking about what might have happened had the devices gone off early.

bisjo don't know what to say, what a terrible thing to go through.

hoops for many of us there's no choice involved - I cannot get to work without the tube and couldn't afford to move to within walking distance. I don't know if years if IRA related security alerts has desensitised me but I don't think about it when I'm travelling.

Whereas I have avoided the Metro in Paris when visited shortly after attacks there a few years ago. Can't imagine not using the tube though.

I also remember police on the tube the days after and that was shocking to me.

I was in a magic shop with dh and my dd1 in her buggy-dh was buying yughio card (v childish) and it was announced on the radio in the shop.
Was very shocked that it could have happen and i went home to watch the news on tv

At court. Believed the power surge story before the hearing, had a shocking hearing, got news of bombing after. Was with friend and man who became my boss in later years. My on off love got the Piccadilly line to Russell Square. I text him but got no response. My friend whom was also his friend called his secretary. He had gone in early and was in a meeting. I was bent double with relief. I saw him later that evening having picked up another friend from work. We had some surreal drinks and fell out. He later apologised, we are still friends but even now I can't admit how scared I was I nearly lost him.

I was at work in Scotland, dh was on scene (btp)

I was at work in Oxford - temping in a summer job I think. spent a lot of that summer going to London for stuff, and on the night after, the 8th, I had tickets for Henry IVth at the National Theatre. I was absolutely determined to go into London on public transport the next day, because fuck the terrorists, that's why.

I remember checking in with London friends on FB and being very relieved that they were okay. The next day I checked everything was more or less running, and went on the train and tube, as I had done lots that June and July. The theatre was full, though the tube going there and coming back wasn't.
I had a drink with my London-based friends during the interval, and it was all we could talk about really. I remember one of them had been in NYC on 9/11. We felt very "business as usual, you stupid terrorists" about it all. I feel like I was much younger then, and a bit more courageous/reckless. I still use the tube all the time when I'm in London, I use the subway all the time in NYC, too. I am not going to let a bunch of fanatics stop me getting where I need to go. But mainly I am lucky not to think about it, lucky not to have been involved, lucky not to have experienced it.

I was at home. I had travelled the circle line route the evening before on my way home from Kent. My sister would have been travelling to work but she was on holiday in Greece. The first she knew was when our other sister rang her to makie sure she was ok.

I was AT home in a haze of newborn colicky baby and 2 year old toddler that the first I knew was when my Dh phoned me at 4pm. He was fairly annoyed that I was unaware, but tv in those days was permanently tuned to cbeebies.

Although my Dh does sometimes work in London thankfully he wasn't there that day.
I spent the rest of the day glued to the news and can still picture a young man being given CPR.

It was shocking and for those of you that were more closely affected I can't begin to imagine what that must have been like.

I was on an interview day for a PGCE. We got told as a group what had happened and I totally messed up the day worrying if my sister was ok. I tried to ring her but no answer, I rang my parents but they hadn't heard anything either. I rang a few more times. I was so relieved when she text to say she was fine.
I was amazed to hear when I'd got on the course.

I was in a pub when I found out cuppa

Well, coffee shop that was also a bar - I worked there. I was living abroad but knew my dad was due to be in London about that time so rang home. He was due to go the day after and didn't.

I remember feeling so utterly helpless being abroad and not in the UK - stupid on reflection as I couldn't actually have done anything but there was a strange guilt iyswim?

There's some heartbreaking stories here. (((unMNy)))

I got to work early that day so was in the office by the time the news started coming through. I travelled in on the Victoria line so didn't take one of the affected lines.

I remember that the first possible explanation was an electricity surge but we got notified by the distributor right away that it wasn't a surge so that made me panic more.

Next I tried to call my parents, brother & then DP to make sure they weren't on the tube. It took a while to get hold of my father as he was stuck on a Jubilee line train.

I worked right by New Scotland Yard so what I remember most was the constant sirens.

We got sent home at lunchtime. I walked to Trafalgar Square to visit my mother's work and see her. Then I continued walking home to Stamford Hill. I think I managed to get a bus somewhere in Newington Green at about 3pmish.

I was in upstate new York managing a team of kids counsellors at camp. I had a staff of 30 and about half were British. I was called to a senior staff house to see the news on CNN. My boss came out with changers all day including - its another 911 and to us it was down to our immigration policy. I actually stormed out of a meeting when he said that. All my staff were told to get on with their work. I ignored mu boss and took them straight to the office to phone home. I wouldn't have tolerated waiting if my family were in london.
77 happened 2 days after 2 staff members were killed in a car accident due to drunk driving (this part would identify me to any alumni - waves). It was a very dark experience which I always describe as the very end of innocence in my life experience. 2 friends and I took a van into town. We listened to cat Stevens on the way and shared a packet of cigarettes. We all felt terribly far from home.
I also recall a few months later backpacking in oz and having quite a breakdown over the green day song with the time of your life reprise because I always associate that track with camp.

I didn't lose anyone in 77 but easily could have. My dear friend works in the office building outside Edward road tube. She should have been in the train but she work up early and that she might aaas well miss the rush. She is a frightful insomniac - must be the only occasion she has ever woken early in her life! Just fate I suppose but I'm grateful for it.

i always have a cry and stoic moment on 7/7
my thoughts are with those affected
and the brave staff who worked so hard

I was working in local gov, there was an annual conference on so every senior officer bar one was in Harrogate. We were told very early on what had happened and opened up our emergency control room, I spent the day stuck in a room relaying updates from the command centre and the police. The train home to Kent was surreal, people on the train were actually talking to each other, something in 10 years of commuting I have ever experienced before or since.

I was at work as a Business Travel Consultant which basically meant that we had to do a sweep of all our travellers to find out if any of them were in London and if any of them were near where the explosions were. We were all absolutely gobsmacked. One girl was trying to get in touch with her Mum who had gone into London for the day. Horrendous day