7/7
Most people know the significance of this date, but for a small group of traders this date has even more significance.
On that very day I was scheduled to do a talk in central London on guess what, trading on betting exchanges. Obviously, in the ensuing chaos, we all arrived a little late. A few of us had directly got caught up in the bombings but nobody was seriously hurt, just a few bumps and some confusion. While it may seem a bit bizarre now, none of us knew what had happened. The rumours at the time were an electrical fault and explosion. So with most people settled in, we just carried on as normal. There was the odd comment on how many sirens were going off. Most people had turned off their mobile phones to listen to the talk.
One person hadn’t though, me. My phone kept ringing, so after trying to ignore it, I eventually answered it. “Are you OK?” came the voice of my wife down the phone. Suddenly we all realised what was going on. About half way through the conversation the phone cut out, it would be the last time for a while that any of us would speak to our relatives. With Internet sites completely stuffed up as well, we were a bit clueless as to what was really happening.
I rolled up my sleeves and immediately went to seek advice, only to realise that most of London was scattering away from the centre however and as fast as they could. This was a little tricky as there were no buses, trains or taxis; it was foot traffic only. On eventually finding a policeman, he advised us to stay put till things were a little clearer. He didn’t know if it was a ‘normal’ bomb or a chemical attack. So, in true British fashion, we stayed put and just carried on. A very, very surreal experience.
We ended slightly early and set off on our walk across town. It was a strange experience, the whole place was completely quiet. Not a soul to be seen, only traffic lights blinking on and off to a non existant world. To add to the atmosphere, it started to rain, not just a little but a lot! A small group of us found an abandoned coffee shop and took refuge in it. Just then the mobile phone network sprung back into life and all the phones started ringing. It was an emotional time listening to the messages as they poured in from all over the world checking to see if we were OK.
Eventually we split up and I found my way to Waterloo station where the first trains were just starting to run again, under heavy security. I jumped on the train for a long and lonely journey home. It was really strange watching the news that night. I’d been there, but the scale and impact of it just hadn’t sunk in till I watched the news.
Spare some thoughts today for those affected by any unnecessary hatred. Have pity for those for whom hates forms a daily part of their life; whatever form it takes, not just terrorists. I guess its just a utopian dream to think that maybe people can just get on with each other for once?
Anyhow, this morning, four years on, I will be taking some time out to contemplate those that were not so lucky four years ago. The timing of this post will appear on the Internet at the exact time the first bomb went off. Please take a moment to remember to mark the anniversary at some point today.
Category: Using Bet Angel
