SA man living in London recalls 7/7

Pedestrians walk past a newspaper stand announcing the terrorist attacks after subway and bus lines were closed in London 07 July 2005.

Pedestrians walk past a newspaper stand announcing the terrorist attacks after subway and bus lines were closed in London 07 July 2005.

Published Jul 7, 2015

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Johannesburg - On Wednesday 6 July 2005, Londoners went to work wondering whether or not their city would be successful in their bid for the 2012 Olympics.

Later in the day, euphoria swept over the bustling city as London was given the nod to host the games.

The next day, 7 July 2005, would be etched in history as 7/7 as a series of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks in central London were carried out killing 52 people (excluding the four bombers), with hundreds more injured in the bustling city centre.

Greg Sherman, a South African who moved to London in 2001, still remembers that day clearly.

“At about 8am I was reading through the lead Metro (free commuter daily newspaper) article, headed by a picture of double Olympic Champion Kelly Holmes in ecstasy on hearing of London’s victory the day before,” said Sherman.

“I was very happy myself, as by then I considered myself an adopted Londoner, not of origin, but as my new home which had provided me with an exciting future.”

When the first explosion went off the public were unaware that it was a terrorist attack.

“The Year 6s were practising their songs for the year-end assembly, to be attended by families of the children the following week.

By about 9.20 or 9.30, I noticed the acting headmaster rushing backwards and forwards through the hall to senior staff on the sides of the children. I saw that their expressions were fraught after he had spoken to them.

“A few minutes later, a colleague started circulating to some teachers and when she came to me, she said: ‘There’s been an incident on the Underground... just a power surge…so please phone your family in South Africa to reassure them’. I promptly did so, getting through to my sister, passing on the message to my loved ones: ‘Don’t worry, I’m already safe at school, it’s not a terrorist attack’.”

As news began filtering through that there were more incidents around the city centre, the reality of a terrorist attack gripped the nation.

“By first break, we had the television on in the staff room, and the first haunting image of the Tavistock Square bus with its whole roof blown off was on BBC 1. Unlike 9/11, the majority of the carnage was underground on the Piccadilly, Metropolitan and Bakerloo Lines, so the full visual horror was only revealed in the days and weeks following the attacks.

“One colleague, in particular, was distraught, in tears and failed for hours to make contact with her partner who worked in the city and used the tube from Aldgate, one of the targets. Thankfully by lunchtime he had managed to phone her and report that he was unaffected by the events. The whole school transformed into a state-of-emergency situation with staff making contingency plans for children’s dismissal that afternoon. We had to wait to hear if and how parents and families had been affected by the bombings. Most transport was suspended that day, so getting to the school was very difficult for parents and a logistical nightmare for us as teachers trying to get the children home.”

Sherman, now aged 41, was forced to walk for three and a half hours across north central London to get home that day.

“I passed a bar in Maida Vale where one wouldn’t know that a horrific attack had happened on fellow citizens that morning. Young professionals were revelling in the evening summer sun, merrily imbibing oblivious to the suffering of some London families. I was quite angry and taken aback by this seemingly callous response to terror.

“Of course when I I asked a local why people were not more sombre he said that this was the way to defeat terror - if we change the way we live or act when they strike, they have won. I understand it now.”

A full 10 years on from the attacks, Sherman is not sure how different London is now, but that indeed it was a changed city.

“Security is tighter, racial tensions still exist and police presence is visible at busy times.

Fifty six Londoners and countless others have been affected by the events of that day, their lives changed forever.”

ANA

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