What were you doing .....

[Gary]

17 years ago today

http://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/articles/7593/1/Straw-commends-remarkable-people/Page1.html

 

Sadly I was reporting on the terrorist atrocity which rocked our town and claimed the lives of two innocent young boys.

The Peace centre is a tremendous legacy to their memory.

[asperity]

I was at the baths at Fordton Leisure Centre and came out to find Winwick Road choked with cars and people leaving town. It was only when I got home that I found out what had caused it. A day that will be very hard to forget in Warrington.

[Bill]

I can?t honestly remember despite one of my nephews getting caught up in the blast and ending up in hospital with a big piece of bin in his back. I do though vividly recall the explosions at the gas works and how it lit up my bedroom several miles away.

 

For me it?s all something I?d rather forget and I?m not at all certain what good is achieved by constantly reminding us of the past.

 

Bill

[harry hayes]

I was trying to dash (as the entertainer) from one childrens party to another.

The second family wasn't too impressed by my excuse for being late although one lady paid attention, "Oh God, my daughter is shopping in Warrington"

 

Happy days

[Mike McCrory]

I remember that day very well, I was at home watching TV that Saturday and heard a distant bang or pop sound coming from the town centre direction, then sometime later a news flash on the television came on explaining what had happened, as my mum worked in the Market I was very worried, fortunately all was well, when she phone me to say she, the staff and customers had all been safely evacuated from the Market to Academy Way to the back of the market.

 

Working for WBC at that time it was very hectic, working along side Dave Bamford, Elvin Michen of the communications team and Mike Sanders (Chief Exec?) being asked to provide maps and certificates etc and working along side graphic designers from the Warrington Guardian and a local stone mason (Dave Wallace) from Bewsey to produce the plaque that you see today outside what was formerly Boots retail store.

 

Sometime later a ceremony was to be held at the St Elphins Parish Church which was given in remembrance of the victims of the atrocity. Mike Sanders told me to run down to see the reverend, so he could give me the keys to the church to draw a floor plan as one did not exist at that time, to see where the seats and pews were situated so the VIP?s/dignitaries/politicians and families of the victims could be seated without divided by the pillars of the church.

 

These are my memories of that sad time.

[Paul Kennedy]

About an hour earlier I had walked past the bin where the bomb was, and so of course had many others, indeed some just minutes/seconds before.

[Evil Sid]

i was sitting at home in my back bedroom at the time.( i had been into town that morning) had the window open and was reading and enjoying the fresh air. did not hear the explosions but wondered why there was a lot of ambulance/fire engines racing up the road.

 

it was about half an hour later that i heard what had happened on the radio.

 

i too remember the gas works one bill as it was just up the road from me. i heard the bangs of that and just thought that it was a car backfiring. it was only when the bedroom lit up that i wondered what was going on. at first i thought the garage at the end of the street was on fire. i went out to see what it was and maybe offer help if it was the hospital as the flames seemed to be coming from that direction. when i got to the end of the street the flames were shooting high into the air and the heat was like a summers day

[Dizzy]

Not often I can remember what I had been doing on a particular day but the days of the Warrington Bomb, Twin Towers, and Jamie Bulgers murder are sadly all etched in my head

 

On the day of Warringtons bomb I had gone to town shopping like many other people to get some bits and bobs for my mum for mothers day..... Struggling to find anything else as mum was a hard person to buy for I rang her and she said she'd like something for the garden so I promptly left town and headed to the garden centres in search of garden plants, pots and ornaments.........

 

..... Whilst admiring all the flowers I got a frantic call from my other half who still thought I was in town as he'd just heard a bomb had gone off.

 

I was completely oblivious to it all and for once was so glad that my mum was such a hard person to shop for and that I had rung her up.

[Bazj]

I was up in Newcastle working for the NRA.... as I was the day the other bomb scare went off!

[inky pete]

I was in McDonalds writing the Mothers Day card I'd just bought when the first one went off.

 

Not nice.

[PaulJAndrews]

I was in Boots buying mothers day stuff with my wife who was 7months pregnant. Stuck my head out of the front door after it went off and didn't like what I saw so went out the back, got in the car and went home as quickly as possible. At the time I'd seen lot's of my family in town prior to the bombing so was worried for their safety.... Then we saw the news. The rest as they say is history. It was a very bad day. I've since met the Parry's and am very impressed on what they're doing and they're outlook - uber positive - well done to them I say... Paul

[robocop]

I can?t honestly remember ........

For me it?s all something I?d rather forget and I?m not at all certain what good is achieved by constantly reminding us of the past.

 

Bill

 

Bit of a contradiction in terms there!

I am sure you would have felt differently if you had lost someone you loved and cared for in the bombing.

Or would you prefer everyone to forget!