I have touched on this in previous stories but one of my many and varied experiences occurred back in the 1970’s in London. I was on a working holiday in the UK and, with my Welsh heritage, was able to travel on a British passport and work to fund my trip.
The day began with lovely sunshine and new friends made during my travels. We were all young and enthusiastic, keen to explore, try new things and have new experiences. Be careful what you wish for. I had only been in London for 6 months and was keen to explore places I had only heard about, the big stores etc. On this day we went down to a narrow subway under a block of business offices heading toward the Thames River, leaving the traffic noise and crowds behind us. Suddenly there was a loud bang, and I remember thinking car accident. Debris was flying around me, then darkness. I will never forget that weird sensation of being confused, bewildered as I looked around, somehow, I was lying on the floor, I don’t recall falling. My friends were gone, I didn’t know where. Nearby was a rough looking young man with blood on his head. Another man was crawling towards us. A woman next to me was crying. Where was the sky? Why couldn’t I see. We all huddled together trying to keep each other calm as we tried to figure out what was going on.
By now the noise had gone, the dust settled but it was dark, like we were in a cave. This being before mobile phones we could not call anyone; we were on our own. We were joined by another man who said, I think we are in trouble. What an understatement. We sat for ages, trying to chat, trying to figure things out in our dark and silent place.
We introduced each other and Tom, the newest arrival said “don’t panic but I think that was a bomb”. Wow, I had heard about random bomb threats, bombings etc. but here? Now? Can’t be. We all dismissed that thought; it was too scary to contemplate. There were no Govt buildings in this area, no police stations that were normally the targets. Tom then admitted he was a detective and had just called in to pick up the lunch orders before heading in to the police station. I’ve often heard jokes about, you can never find a policeman when you need one, well we had our own!!!
Another man then introduced himself as Father Murphy, not the best name under the circumstances. He started us singing silly songs and telling jokes. I had no way of knowing how long we had been there but it seemed like forever. Eventually Father Murphy offered prayers and begged the Lord for help. None of us were believers but he tried to reassure us stating God would help us. The blood covered man, never told us his name, said “Has he got a @#@!@# shovel then?? We laughed; it broke the tension. The priest looked up and suddenly there was a chink of light and a voice said, is anybody in there?
We began calling out, yelling and laughing at the same time. Relieved that help had arrived and amused that the priest had appeared to summon help from above. The hole got bigger and one by one we were hauled out of our cave. A fleet of ambulances stood waiting for us and first aid administered. On that day I began my journey towards becoming a Christian and vowed to take each day as it comes and make the most of my life. Make every day count.
We had survived 10 hours under the rubble of the office building that had collapsed on our laneway. It was indeed an IRA bombing.
I was uninjured but one thing I really desperately needed was ...
… a loo !!!!!!!!
Heather Hartland
February 2024
The day began with lovely sunshine and new friends made during my travels. We were all young and enthusiastic, keen to explore, try new things and have new experiences. Be careful what you wish for. I had only been in London for 6 months and was keen to explore places I had only heard about, the big stores etc. On this day we went down to a narrow subway under a block of business offices heading toward the Thames River, leaving the traffic noise and crowds behind us. Suddenly there was a loud bang, and I remember thinking car accident. Debris was flying around me, then darkness. I will never forget that weird sensation of being confused, bewildered as I looked around, somehow, I was lying on the floor, I don’t recall falling. My friends were gone, I didn’t know where. Nearby was a rough looking young man with blood on his head. Another man was crawling towards us. A woman next to me was crying. Where was the sky? Why couldn’t I see. We all huddled together trying to keep each other calm as we tried to figure out what was going on.
By now the noise had gone, the dust settled but it was dark, like we were in a cave. This being before mobile phones we could not call anyone; we were on our own. We were joined by another man who said, I think we are in trouble. What an understatement. We sat for ages, trying to chat, trying to figure things out in our dark and silent place.
We introduced each other and Tom, the newest arrival said “don’t panic but I think that was a bomb”. Wow, I had heard about random bomb threats, bombings etc. but here? Now? Can’t be. We all dismissed that thought; it was too scary to contemplate. There were no Govt buildings in this area, no police stations that were normally the targets. Tom then admitted he was a detective and had just called in to pick up the lunch orders before heading in to the police station. I’ve often heard jokes about, you can never find a policeman when you need one, well we had our own!!!
Another man then introduced himself as Father Murphy, not the best name under the circumstances. He started us singing silly songs and telling jokes. I had no way of knowing how long we had been there but it seemed like forever. Eventually Father Murphy offered prayers and begged the Lord for help. None of us were believers but he tried to reassure us stating God would help us. The blood covered man, never told us his name, said “Has he got a @#@!@# shovel then?? We laughed; it broke the tension. The priest looked up and suddenly there was a chink of light and a voice said, is anybody in there?
We began calling out, yelling and laughing at the same time. Relieved that help had arrived and amused that the priest had appeared to summon help from above. The hole got bigger and one by one we were hauled out of our cave. A fleet of ambulances stood waiting for us and first aid administered. On that day I began my journey towards becoming a Christian and vowed to take each day as it comes and make the most of my life. Make every day count.
We had survived 10 hours under the rubble of the office building that had collapsed on our laneway. It was indeed an IRA bombing.
I was uninjured but one thing I really desperately needed was ...
… a loo !!!!!!!!
Heather Hartland
February 2024
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