9/11

crispybug2

Given the relatively low profile of the event in the news today, I thought I'd ask what your memories of the day are


For me, I have no memories of the actual day as me and the natural blonde were on holiday in Turkey, relaxing on a Gulet boat and neither we or the other people on board had a mobile phone with us. We had set sail on the 8th of September and didn't get back on land until the 14th.

It's quite an odd sensation knowing that we completely missed what will almost certainly be the biggest event in our lifetimes!

Matthewfalle

crispybug2 wrote:

and the natural blonde

POIDH

mamba80

was re-ringing a ktm250exc in the shed, Steve Wright said reports of a private plane had flown into the one of the twin towers.... tbh re ringing a natural blond sounds more fun.

BelgianBeerGeek

I was living in a caravan at the time. The day was stunning, clear skies and warm. I drove to Sainsbury's for some food. Steve Wright told us a plane had flown into a building in New York. Odd, I thought.
I remember the shop because I was standing at the checkout and two scrotes, bold as brass, walked through with a massive TV, shoved the fire doors open and legged it. The fat guy on security didn't stand a chance. In hindsight, I remember this because of the day rather than anything else.
Went back to the caravan, put the radio on and guessed the enormity of it. Then I walked the dog and went to the pub.
Mrs BBGeek was away sailing. Next day she texted to say "That's us at war then". I was a bit sceptical, but prophetic words as it worked out.

veronese68

Remember the days after the attack? America had the sympathy of the world. Imagine if all the billions that have been spent on arms since then had been spent on aid. What kind of world would we now be living in?

trivial_poursuivant

I was on the British Army's big exercise in Oman. Great time to be in a Muslim country. Especially when getting we got a visit from Geoffrey Hoon the MoD secretary who came out and told us we would all be going to Afghanistan. WTF! Great way to sh!t everyone up when you're r miles from home in a foreign country and the worlds biggest act of terrorism just took place by Islamic Extremists. :shock:

ballysmate

Veronese68 wrote:

Remember the days after the attack? America had the sympathy of the world. Imagine if all the billions that have been spent on arms since then had been spent on aid. What kind of world would we now be living in?

Well the sympathy of the world minus the BBC Question Time audience.

Wheelspinner

On a plane flight Sydney to Bangkok for work. Arrived at 1am local time, nothing in the airport gave it away, but taxi driver trying to explain in the 14 words of English he knew what had happened while driving me to the hotel. I got the gist of it, but just assumed he was a nutter and was missing stuff in translation, because I figured that sounded a very unlikely story.

Not till I arrived at hotel and turned on TV did I find out he was right.

rick_chasey

Ballysmate wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

Remember the days after the attack? America had the sympathy of the world. Imagine if all the billions that have been spent on arms since then had been spent on aid. What kind of world would we now be living in?

Well the sympathy of the world minus the BBC Question Time audience.

First funny thing you've said on here bally .

Matthewfalle

mamba80 wrote:

. tbh re ringing a natural blond sounds more fun.

Hat.

DeVlaeminck

Had been in London all day for a work meeting, had my mini cooper (last of the carb models - fond memories) parked up at the station and went straight to a pub where my football team were meeting to discuss something. On way home the news came on the radio and turned it on TV when I got in and saw the second plane hit.

briantrumpet

I was in a TNT depot, sending a trumpet to America, and someone I knew who worked there said something about a plane crashing into the Twin Towers.

My trumpet took a diversion via Belgium.

mouth

I was working in retail at the time and my friendly witch of an NVQ assessor was in for a visit. She too had heard the Steve Wright (possibly) version of events in the car on the way. I'll be honest, being an ignorant 19yo I didn't really think much of it. When I got home to my g/f and son, who was 6 months old at the time she had the telly on and gave me an actual run through of what had happened, by this point it was probably 1830hrs our time. I remember watching the coverage and thinking 'S*** me'.

Distinctly, the only other thing I remember is calling my Mum for no particular reason, other than to just talk to her. Something I never did before, nor have I repeated since.

mr_goo

I visited the 'Ground Zero' memorial last week. There was no indication at all that the anniversary was approaching other than odd flowers left at the names of some of the victims.

On the day it happened I was heading home down the M3 listening to the reporting on the radio. Got back home and Mrs Goo had TV on with news feed. I just sat and watched, not saying much at all.

Flâneur

I was in school, teacher put the tv on, and half the class or so just ended up watching it the school told us we had to go home. Didn't even leave for the following class, we were all just about old enough to understand this would change the world without quite knowing how.

fat daddy

I was working for an American Company at the time so al the TVs were on and watching news with a lot of the staff quite concerned about friends that worked there r nin the vicinity .... We all thought it was a very tragic plane accident ... until the second plane hit.

veronese68

On the day I was working in a parts department, heard on the radio and went into the reception area to watch the telly. Didn't know what was going on initially, as FD says we thought it was an accident until the second plane hit. Watching that I just couldn't quite process what I was seeing for a while.

capt_slog

I was working in a lab, and had the radio on. So, like others above, it was probably Steve Wright that I heard it from.

Because I was the only one with a radio, I went into neighbouring offices and told them that a plane had hit a skyscraper in New York. It was a little later that one of them came into the lab and told me that it had happened a second time and it was a terrorist attack.

Now that news is so instant on the internet, it's difficult to recall a time when it wasn't. However, I don't remember going to a computer to find out what was going on so either it didn't occur to me or it was awkward to find then. The days events unfolded on the BBC tv news when I got home.

hopkinb

I was working on the 38th floor of One Canada Square as news filtered through. Left pretty sharpish after we realised what was happening, due to expecting something similar in London, and watched it unfold in a pub back in Earlsfield where I was living at the time. Went back to work the next day though.

Pross

Heard about the first one from a colleague and I think everyone assumed it was just a tragic accident and then there were the reports of the second incident and after that we were all just sat around the Internet watching it unfold. I think it was possibly the first major event I could remember seeing unfold in real time with the tower collapses and images of people jumping from the buildings, it just felt unreal. Seeing the memorial for the first time back in 2012 really brought home the scale of the loss of life and physical destruction. I can't help thinking that those involved in planning the attack would probably have got even greater satisfaction from the long term reaction to it than even the initial impact. How many tens of thousands have died around the world on all sides, and those caught in the middle, as a result of this event?

mrfpb

I was on holiday with extended family and none of us were watching TV. My wife saw it when out shopping and came back pale faced, but didn't tell the rest of us about it until the kids were in bed, then we turned the TV on and got the whole shocking story.

We were still on holiday when the Last Night of the Proms was on, and Leonard Slatkin - the first American to conduct the Lat Night - had put together a programme of music more appropriate than the usual flag waving party.

eric_draven

I was working on site fitting conveyor systems at the time,and hearing the news about 3rd hand and not really believing it till hearing it on the radio going back to our digs later in the works van,I flew out to Los Angeles about 3 weeks later to go on holiday and was only allowed to take my wallet and passport on the flight with me,not even a pen to fill out the immigration form for visiting

Garry H

Had I not been on holiday on Mull that week, I would have been sent to NY with a colleague. The office was in tower one. Colleague was ok.