Where were you when.....

[Lovegin]

I had just come in the house from shopping with my young son, I remember thinking it must be a small plane ( like a bi-plane) that had hit when the 2nd tower was then hit, my mum and I a few years earlier had been to the restaurant the
windows on the world, that brought it home.

Diana, I spent the night with friends, I can’t stand the memory and disgust of the British people braying for the queen when she was looking after her 2 grandchildren whose mother had just died and as for making them walk behind her carriage

 

[shirleymaclaine1]

I was in a Tandys looking to buy a printer on my day off. I saw that all the televisions in the store were inexplicably showing a really OTT disaster movie where some planes had flown into the Twin Towers in New York and remember thinking to myself what a far-fetched notion that was. I then noticed that everyone in the store (staff and customers) were all stood in eerie silence staring at the TV screens. It was then that I realised that it wasn’t a rubbish disaster movie they were all watching and I too joined them in staring silently at the screens.

Re: Diana dying...I was having a lie-in after a late shift the night before when I was awoken by my then husband telling me that ‘Di and Dodi are dead’. At first I thought he was telling a rather sick joke and waited for the punchline to arrive. I was then totally speechless for ages (for one of the very few times in my life) and started crying at the thought of Wills and Harry having lost their beloved mum.

 

[Loftcat]

I had flown from Manchester to NYC, when when we were diverted to Newfoundland in Canada, as airspace was closed, found out when we landed. Horror. Diana. Was taking to my fiance in L.A. Due to meet up with him in a couple of days, heard it live, cos of the time difference.

 

[Chewingthefat]

I remember I skipped college that day. I was looking after my mates flat while she was on holiday so headed there. I sat down with a cup of tea and put the tv on. The first plane had hit and I watched as the second plane hit tower 2. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! The fact you were watching events evolve in real time just made everything so much more horrific. Watching those poor souls fall or jump from the towers is something I’ll never forget.
I had a sister who was in America at the time and on a flight to Vegas during the time of the attacks. We couldn’t get through to her for some time and the worry was just dreadful!

 

[Anasnake]

At home with my 4 week old baby (who’s now at uni), wondering what’s sort of world I’d brought him into

With Diana I was hungover after a night out and put the telly on to see Tony Blair talking. It was half way through and I didn’t knew who he was talking about, I thought it was the queen at first. I remember later issues of the newspaper had a new front cover but it only had the basic details.

 

[Doc]

I was at work for 9/11. I’d just started working at a solicitors office as an office junior, it was my first ever “proper” job after leaving school. We were all ushered into the boardroom to watch the TV in there. I just remember feeling shook, I think that’s when I realised that the world wasn’t as safe as I assumed, and people wanted to kill us. We saw the second plane hit live. I had nightmares about the poor people who jumped and were filmed doing so live.

Other ones I can remember:

Dunblane massacre - I was at school, I remember seeing it on the news but not really understanding that it was children who were deliberately murdered by a gunman until the next day or so when the victim identities were released. Then it scared me and for a bit I always looked at where I could hide in classrooms if I needed to.

Diana - we were waiting for the ferry in Scotland to go visit relatives in Ireland and it was on the car radio. My dad immediately said he thought it would end up being a murder case.

London bombings - again at work, we all gathered around a laptop to look at the reports on BBC News.

 

[Sw4]

911- I was in year 8 and remember vaguely someone saying something in school. Then when I got picked up from school my dad was like have you heard and then told me and I don't think I fully grasped it, then was shocked when I got home and saw the TV footage. I think it's the first time I'd come across the term terrorism as well.

Diana- I was about 7 or 8 and I believe it was the weekend and my aunt, uncle and cousins were staying over which was a regular thing as they live quite far. Us cousins all used to camp on the living room floor and sleep late, and I rmemeber my aunt waking us up sombrely and saying guess who's died. For some reason I immediately thought it was my dog but then when we were told I was shocked, I didn't think princesses could die like that in my young naiive mind. Didn't entirely understand what paparazzi meant for ages too.

 

[Marmaladeapricot]

In my office in West London, stood in reception watching it happen on the big tv.

 

[Peartree]

These are the ones I remember and will never forget

Diana - One of my friends got married the day before, and I was staying over at my another friends house, we’d obviously had a fantastic day/night got drunk and tipped a load of confetti into our friends letter box.
I awoke to my friend saying to her partner ‘how awful’ ‘I’m really sad’ ’im really upset’, so I actually stayed in my room thinking they needed some space. Eventually I left the room and they told me. Another friend came round and the four of us squeezed up on the sofa and watched it on the tv all day. I watched the funeral on tv too - cried.

9/11 - me and my now husband were in Amsterdam, we were staying in the centre, we‘d been out sightsering and returned to our room as Hubby needed the loo and whilst waiting I put the tv on. The first tower collapsed whilst I was watching and I remember thinking it was a strange film. When realisation dawned I sort of shouted to hubby. We watched It for hours. We had a posh restaurant booked so went out for that. All flights were cancelled at the airport for days - We were lucky ours was one of the first easyJet flights allowed to leave.

manchester bombing - 1996 - me and hubby both worked in Manchester hospitals and both on standby, thankfully there had been a good warning and everyone was able to be evacuated so only minor injuries. You didn’t get the same coverage then, the news just showed us clips

Manchester bombing - 2017 - first I knew was the next morning I was still in bed - hubby goes to work, gets the train to Victoria station as usual and the idiot text me to say they’d been a bomb - that’s it, nothing else, no details. Obviously panicked and rang him, it’d happened the night before and his train was being diverted.

Australian cafe siege - (2014) I was day off, I must of gone on my iPad early as I remember watching that all day, had coverage on my iPad and tv - i was hooked, even now can’t believed it was all televised live.

 

[Bitofthebubbly]

I was around 9 when 9/11 happened and pretty sure I was in school that day and saw it on the news when I got home. If I’m honest I didn’t fully understand the gravity of the situation back then and I remember being put out by the fact my shows were being interrupted by a news bulletin

 

[LittleMy]

I remember when Michael Jackson died. I was out at a club with my ex, was near the end of the night and everything went dark for a minute and “Thriller” was played. I thought it was an unusual choice for a rock club, but didn’t think anything else of it until my ex and I left the club later. We stopped at Glasgow Central Station so we could lift cash for a taxi home, and it was all over the news.

 

[Belleboo]

I was at college, another tutor came in to talk to ours and they told us to go home as what was happening was more important than anything they could teach us. Being a stupid 19 year old I went to the pub where they were playing the news on the big screen, I think I only really understood how terrible it was when I saw it. Everyone was crying, I still struggle to get my head round it even now. All those innocent people and for nothing. It’s heartbreaking and the world really did change that day.

 

[Bitofthebubbly]

I remember when Michael Jackson died. I was out at a club with my ex, was near the end of the night and everything went dark for a minute and “Thriller” was played. I thought it was an unusual choice for a rock club, but didn’t think anything else of it until my ex and I left the club later. We stopped at Glasgow Central Station so we could lift cash for a taxi home, and it was all over the news.

I was sat in a Wetherspoons and it came on one of the tv’s in there that he’d died. Non of us believed it at first.

 

[265]

7/7 London bombings I recall, I was home recovering from an operation and I remember something happening early in the morning and I had the news channel on and learned of all the events as they happened.

I also remember the previous London bombings by the IRA which did lead to the "Ring of Steel" being placed, I was home at the time on both
Bishopsgate and Dockland bombings.

Nail Bomb attack in London's Soho area, I was working in that area that day a few hours before the bomb went off.

 

[JD-Morgan]

I was 11, I remember coming home from school and my mum was glued to the tv and as I walked into the living room she gasped as the second plane hit the second tower. I asked her what film she was watching and she replied it’s the news

I visited New York in 2005 when it was still Ground Zero. I visited again in 2017 after the memorials were finished and went to the museum and the fountains. Absolutely heartbreaking.

 

[bringingdownthebs]

9/11 I was in year 5 at primary school and our headteacher called us all to the assembly hall and wheeled in the tv. We all thought we were going to watch something fun! To this day I have absolutely no idea why he chose to show little children the news coverage but it’s something that’s haunted me my entire life. As soon as they mentioned they’d be building a memorial I knew I wanted to visit. I finally made it there on my honeymoon in 2017 and it was the most humbling experience of my life. I don’t think my husband had previously realised how deeply it had affected me until we were there. I still can’t think about it without getting upset - I remember being almost 10 years old and seeing the events unfold and thinking about the poor people trapped. Then seeing people jump... I couldn’t really grasp that concept as a young girl, obviously, but remember asking my mum if they managed to escape and she explained to me, in the best way she could, that they wouldn’t survive the fall.

Manchester bombing 2017 has stayed with me too. I’m a mancunion and we lost a colleague in the attack. On the night I was about to turn off the light and go to bed but then saw the news break on Twitter that there had been a bomb at the arena. I couldn’t get to sleep and continued reading as the horror unfolded. My friend was a 999 call handler at the time and I remember texting her to see if she was okay... I didn’t hear back from her until the following evening and she was traumatised (understandably). It was only when I got to work the next morning that we discovered one of our colleagues was missing and confirmed as being at the arena picking up her daughter at the time of the explosion. I’ll never forget colleague after colleague trying to get through to her mobile and being met with voicemail each and every time. It was later on in the evening following the attack that it was sadly confirmed she’d been killed. I remember feeling so lost after it. I couldn’t fathom the innocent people and children that had been murdered so close to home.

 

[under the ivy]

Diana - I was 4 and I was starting primary school the following day. Just remember it being all over the TV all day. Have re-watched clips on YouTube and watched a few documentaries about her. Lovely woman.

Michael Jackson - I was 14 (I think) but I remember getting up in the night because I couldn’t sleep and I was hungry lol, made some toast and watched some TV and it was all over the news.

Manchester Bombing 2017 - I was getting ready to fly to Japan from Manchester airport to start my gap year (travelled around japan for 2 month). It had happened 2 days before I was due to go to Manchester so was a bit nervous. Awful to think of all the lives lost.

 

[Mememememe]

Diana - all I remember is my aunty calling the house and told me to tell her Diana had died.

9/11 I remember walking into the house after school and I could see burning tower on the TV I can see him now sat in the sofa i enter in and he just turns and looks at me. It was a look I won't forget. Ans then the tower fell ( may have been the second tower) and I just couldnt believe what I was seeing. I was about 12.i went into my bedroom and sobbed. I was terrified. All those dead and I didn't really understand.
I was scared for a while after that.

7/7 - I woke that morning and went do etaors turned int he TV. Mum came in and we watched it unfold live. I told her straight away that this was a terrorist attack even though it was unconfirmed at the time

Grenfell - here in this house watching it in gmb I think cuddling my baby tight because I just felt absolute dispare at what had happened.

 

[michelle1990]

I was sat in my next door neighbours house while our little girls were playing with mega bloks, and i was pregnant with my son.
It just came on the telly and we saw it all, horrific.

 

[Noseybatch]

In Irish class after lunch when our teacher told us