Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Where Was I when?

Big Rab has tagged me to answer these questions, partly because I'm one of the few people he knows old enough to answer them all!

Princess Diana’s death - 31 August 1997

I was living in Arundel in West Sussex at the time. Mrs. H. and I were walking down the high street on our way to take the dogs for a walk along the banks of the River Arun. We bumped into someone we knew who told us. Like everyone else I suspect our reaction was a mix of disbelief and sadness.

Margaret Thatcher’s resignation 22 November 1990

I've not the slightest idea. All I remember is thinking it was time. Too long in power can sometimes become more of a hindrance than a help.

Attack on the twin towers - 11 September 2001

Mrs H. had picked me up from Edinburgh airport early in the morning as I had just flown home from Toronto. We were heading up to Loch Hourn to Skiary, one of our favourite places in the world. We drove there and arrived about 4 p.m. having listened to music on the CD player and chatted about my two-week trip around the USA and Canada. When we got there our friends were there to meet us with their boat; you have to take a boat to Skiary as the road stops about a mile or so away. "Have you heard the news?" We hadn't and they briefly explained what they had heard on the radio. We of course were stunned, both from what had happened and from not knowing anything about it. We spent the next week at Skiary and heard snatches of things on the radio but saw nothing as they had no electricity and no television. I have to say we were glad to be spared the images and the news media. Three days before I’d been in New York at the studios of NPR which are right next to the Twin Towers.

England’s World Cup Semi Final v (West) Germany - 4 July 1990

All I can remember thinking was here we go again....more disappointment. No idea where I was

President Kennedy’s Assassination - 22 November 1963

I was at Scouts in Carshalton in Surrey. We'd just assembled when someone arrived with the news. There was a kind of collective understanding that this was awful, but at twelve I just remember thinking. Was it the Russians? I'd only just got over being scared that the Cuban Missile Crisis would mean war and nuclear bombs.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

And now all you have to do Richard is tag five people with the meme!

Richard Havers said...

I just knew there'd be something else to do!

jams o donnell said...

I was probably in my cot for JFK's death...

Colin Campbell said...

I have been to the top of one of the Twin Towers. I was impressed how complex and huge those buildings were.

r morris said...

9/11---Found out when I arrived at work (school). Turned on the TV in the class next door and we all watched (with 50 9th graders) as the events unfolded. When the towers went down, I remember thinking about 40,000 people just died. My brother, who worked for American Airlines, had friends on one of the planes.

Princess Di: at home in Idaho. although no one in our family was much interested in the royal family, we thought it was a tragedy and we watched the stuff about it on TV. I was most interested in the forensics end of the crash scene, and why Di's 'bodyguard' was wearing his seat belt but didn't make sure she was.

r morris said...

Forgot to mention about 9/11--even though pro sports were all cancelled for a few days, I coached a double-header high school soccer game that same day--on 9/11-- and went home physically and emotionally drained.