Today is the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. It is one of those events which will be forever defined in terms of "Where were you when the first plane flew into the tower..."
I remember the day well. In fact I was probably in a most appropriate place to witness such a heinious crime although I did not witness the actual incident "in real time". On that day I was working in Cane Hill Medium Secure Psychiatric unit. For those who don't know what one of those is, it is a secure hospital for (usually) the most dangerous of mentally disordered offenders and "one step down" (so to speak) from the secure hospitals system of which Broadmoor is probably the best known. Cane Hill no longer exists and was closed earlier this year.
I remember going onto the patients area about 10.30 am and walking into the common room to see every single patient totally absorbed by something on the telly. The patients were totally absorbed, totally silent and absolutely concentrated on what was on the screen. I had never seen these men in this mood before. When I also saw what was being broadcast I was stunned and, frankly incredulous. The TV Channel seemed to be repeating over and over again those dreadful scenes of people falling through the air to their deaths, having jumped out of top floor offices. But almost immediately I began to question myself: should men like this be watching scenes like that? Here was material enough to generate delusions for a lifetime. I remember saying this to the Consultant in charge who merely shrugged his shoulders as if to say "what can I do".
The entire day felt, somehow 'hushed' and very sombre. The patients stayed 'glued' to the TV the whole day; nothing got done by the staff except injections and feeding tasks. We were in a cocoon. Of course, because of the nature of the unit we were never innundated with members of the public or even many other visitors.We were behind a bloody great brick wall, half a mile up a wooded and steep road on a site which was anyway a good walk away from the nearest town (Coulsdon). But on this particular day we really felt isolated and totally alone in an emotional sense.
This sense of unreality continued on my way home. Changing trains at East Croydon the notices said that all trains were delayed "owing to the security measures implemented as a result of this morning's incident in New York". I never have understood why this should have been. How does a terror incident in New York effect the trains of the south London suburbs? One of those things still to be explained, connected, understood clearly. Eventually I got home and I was so relieved that I did not have a TV that night because I knew the only images being broadcast that evening would be those terrible images taken on the streets of New York; those bodies falling through the sky, the great orange-black fireball as the first plane struck...
V/. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
R/. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V/. May they rest in peace.
R/. Amen.
V/. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R/. Amen.
Comments