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[Misc] I was there
- Thread starter portlock seagull
- Start date
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 10,733
I cycled to Paris with Mrs Mahone this Easter. Great fun, but we were surprised how busy the streets were as we approached the centre of the city - Sunday afternoon and it was almost traffic gridlock. Loads of sirens, too. We thought this must be just the nature of Paris.
We reached the river and turned onto a bridge over the Seine where loads of people were standing quietly. Looking to our right we saw why, and everything became clear. A couple of hundred metres away, Notre Dame was burning.
To see this in person, having had no idea that it was happening before we saw it, was quite emotional. We stood and watched for some time. There was an eerie silence on the bridge - it was hard to believe that what we were seeing was real. 800 years of history being destroyed before our eyes. Incredible.
We reached the river and turned onto a bridge over the Seine where loads of people were standing quietly. Looking to our right we saw why, and everything became clear. A couple of hundred metres away, Notre Dame was burning.
To see this in person, having had no idea that it was happening before we saw it, was quite emotional. We stood and watched for some time. There was an eerie silence on the bridge - it was hard to believe that what we were seeing was real. 800 years of history being destroyed before our eyes. Incredible.
el punal
Well-known member
Unfortunately I was witness to probably the most tragic incident that will be described on here.
In the mid 1970s I worked for a major international drinks company on the promotion team. On this particular occasion we were giving out free samples on a vintage bus at the Biggin Hill air show. On board were the crew of the Lancaster, part of the Battle of Britain flight group. Suddenly one of the crew gasped in horror, stood up and rushed off the bus. The rest of us, a moment later, realised why. A Tiger Moth bi-plane had just taken off, at the same precise time a helicopter, that was giving joy rides to the paying public, also took off. A collision took place in mid-air, the Tiger Moth’s undercarriage was sheared off by the helicopter’s rotor blades, and the helicopter plummeted to the ground.
What happened next was incredible and tragic in equal measure. The Tiger Moth, still able to fly, circled the airfield and came into land - with no landing gear. What the pilot achieved was a superb belly landing and he and his plane escaped unscathed. The tragic part was that all on board the helicopter were killed - the pilot, two grandparents and their two grandchildren.
To say the least it was a horrific incident. What followed was probably the most macabre reaction I’ve ever encountered. The organisers decided to carry on with the air show! If that wasn’t bad enough every road leading to Biggin Hill was gridlocked as cars, carrying sightseeing ghouls wanting to view the tragedy, clogged up all the routes in and out.
What an awful day that was.
In the mid 1970s I worked for a major international drinks company on the promotion team. On this particular occasion we were giving out free samples on a vintage bus at the Biggin Hill air show. On board were the crew of the Lancaster, part of the Battle of Britain flight group. Suddenly one of the crew gasped in horror, stood up and rushed off the bus. The rest of us, a moment later, realised why. A Tiger Moth bi-plane had just taken off, at the same precise time a helicopter, that was giving joy rides to the paying public, also took off. A collision took place in mid-air, the Tiger Moth’s undercarriage was sheared off by the helicopter’s rotor blades, and the helicopter plummeted to the ground.
What happened next was incredible and tragic in equal measure. The Tiger Moth, still able to fly, circled the airfield and came into land - with no landing gear. What the pilot achieved was a superb belly landing and he and his plane escaped unscathed. The tragic part was that all on board the helicopter were killed - the pilot, two grandparents and their two grandchildren.
To say the least it was a horrific incident. What followed was probably the most macabre reaction I’ve ever encountered. The organisers decided to carry on with the air show! If that wasn’t bad enough every road leading to Biggin Hill was gridlocked as cars, carrying sightseeing ghouls wanting to view the tragedy, clogged up all the routes in and out.
What an awful day that was.
Beach Hut
Brighton Bhuna Boy
I was at the last ever Queen concert at Knebworth
boik
Well-known member
Nothing important, but I was at Cult Hero’s secret gig at the marquee which was Simon Gallup’s audition for The Cure.
Gregory2Smith1
J'les aurai!
Hill-Schumacher
Adelaide
Adelaide
I can't see then running that race again soon - especially the Teheran to Pakistan via Kabul leg.
southstandandy
WEST STAND ANDY
- Jul 9, 2003
- 5,641
Saw U2's 2nd gig outside of Ireland in December 1979 at the Nashville Rooms in London (with only about 50 other people). £1.50 a ticket.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Grim. You have reminded me of the Shoreham Airshow in about 1975/6 where a vintage aircraft was doing a loop de loop (or whatever it’s called) and judged it wrong nose diving into the ground in the middle of the runway area. No spectators were hurt but it was the most sickening thing to watch.
North Stand v Spurs - with my Dad
I was in front of the Brandenburger Tor at the exact moment that West and East Germany became one country. I don't think I've seen so many drunk people in one place.
I was with some German friends who had escaped from the East in the 60s, it was a truly emotional moment for them.
Talking of Berlin, on another trip, I was watching the Berliner Ensemble when the play was invaded by protesters talking about asylum seekers' rights and looking for support for a big demo that week. OK, it's not globally significant, but it did make the front page of the papers the next day - I still have the cutting.
Closer to home, I was also on the Poll Tax march in Trafalgar Square just as it was kicking off and on the Lewisham demo against the National Front in 1977 - they were front page news.
I was with some German friends who had escaped from the East in the 60s, it was a truly emotional moment for them.
Talking of Berlin, on another trip, I was watching the Berliner Ensemble when the play was invaded by protesters talking about asylum seekers' rights and looking for support for a big demo that week. OK, it's not globally significant, but it did make the front page of the papers the next day - I still have the cutting.
Closer to home, I was also on the Poll Tax march in Trafalgar Square just as it was kicking off and on the Lewisham demo against the National Front in 1977 - they were front page news.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
The day I realised I was an Albion fan not a Spurs one. I watched that from the roof of the tea hut on the East Terrace. Nasty atmosphere and plenty of Spurs on the East terrace.
No. And it isn’t funny.
bobbysmith01
Well-known member
- Feb 6, 2015
- 785
Was working on a night shift when that happened, we all looked at each other and thought what was that? 5 minutes later we saw the police cars going down Edward street and knew something major had happened.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A poll tax rioter and a raver.........mmmmmmm
The Mole
Well-known member
I was in Bali in 2002 although safely away from the area in Ubud. I didn’t know about it until the next morning - thought I’d better not phone home as it was the middle of the night. By that time I was added to the foreign office missing list for a few hours.
portlock seagull
Why? Why us?
- Jul 28, 2003
- 17,071
- Thread starter
- #58
Bloody hell!!
AmexRuislip
Trainee Spy 🕵️♂️
Brilliant.
It was one of those pool table in bar moments.
Time sort of stood still, apart from the clambering hacks wanting to get that exclusive shot of her.
