Memories of 9/11

It will be 10 years tomorrow that the twin towers came down. I, like most people, have vivid memories of that day.

The day started normally, I had my lunch and was quietly working when my boss received a phone call from his American wife. She told him that a plane had hit the world trade centre. We all looked on the BBC news website, which was creaking under the strain.

We then heard of the second plane going into the South tower. We headed down to the main office. Our company was Venture capitalist funded, and one of the other companies they funded had really large TV screens.

We started watching in disbelief at the unfolding atrocity. I remember watching in horror that some people were leaping from the top, and I'm sire I saw one clinging to the side before falling. I thought how hellish it must have been for them to think throwing themselves to their death was a better fate.

And then it got worse. The South tower came down. Terribly weakened by the fire half way up, it collapsed. Apart from the death of thousands of people in there, including those trying to rescue such as brave firemen, that must have been absolutely terrifying for those in the North tower.

They may have been under the impression that the towers would survive and they could calmly descend to the bottom. The realisation that they were in a race against time must have been truly horrendous.

When the second tower came down, we continued to watch, hoping there would be no more atrocities but we heard of other hijacked planes. Thankfully there were no more images of the other crashes that day apart from a grainy picture if the Pentagon.

I left the office at 6 and watched more news at home, struck by the tragedy of it all. The enormity of it hit my emotions, and I remember crying for around 15 minutes.

I turned in early but didn't really sleep.

The world changed that day, and the stories we hear today reminds us of what we faced. It was the modern apocalypse. A vision of hell on earth.

Squiffy.