Jump to content

Black Days!


XTreme

Recommended Posts

It was 44 Years ago today when we lost Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines in the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash!

90de7bab0608ae178c28f8b12924fede.jpg.fa19e4943210318320ad890295ecd179.jpg

I was working in Neath at the time and I remember the news coming across the radio that morning in 1977. Some things like that always stick in your mind!

Along with Jarno Saarinen getting killed at Monza in 1973.....I was outside the Westbourne pub listening to the sports results on somebody's car radio at 7PM for that.

And then Bon Scott's death in 1980......I was a Rep driving a car between Llandovery and Builth Wells when that one broke!

Any Black Days that always stick with you?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, XTreme said:

It was 44 Years ago today when we lost Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines in the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash!

90de7bab0608ae178c28f8b12924fede.jpg.fa19e4943210318320ad890295ecd179.jpg

I was working in Neath at the time and I remember the news coming across the radio that morning in 1977. Some things like that always stick in your mind!

Along with Jarno Saarinen getting killed at Monza in 1973.....I was outside the Westbourne pub listening to the sports results on somebody's car radio at 7PM for that.

And then Bon Scott's death in 1980......I was a Rep driving a car between Llandovery and Builth Wells when that one broke!

Any Black Days that always stick with you?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obviously 9/11. I was doing a job in the main hospital in Jersey and one of the staff came into the lab to tell us what he'd just heard on the news. I was staying in the town and went to a pub in the evening for my tea and a few beers. They had a TV in the corner of the bar and everyone was watching it in silence, just shaking their heads.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Shuttle Challenger disaster. I heard it on the car radio as I was driving round the M25 near Lakeside. It was odd too, because I very rarely listened to the radio in the car as I mainly listened to cassettes back then. I just decided that I'd put the radio on that day.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Tango said:

Obviously 9/11. I was doing a job in the main hospital in Jersey and one of the staff came into the lab to tell us what he'd just heard on the news. I was staying in the town and went to a pub in the evening for my tea and a few beers. They had a TV in the corner of the bar and everyone was watching it in silence, just shaking their heads.

Id just had a baby, it was a few weeks old and Mr Slowly rang and said turn on the telly, I looked at the screen and down at my new baby and said “NO there cant be a war, Ive just had a baby” 😂

  • Like 3
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When Princess Di died it was the night of our graduation ball (old style uni graduation not the new American style school graduation thats here now) Id not long gone to sleep when someone started battering my hotel door, I opened it to a loud and panicked announcement “PRINCESS DI IS DEAD” A bit miffed at being woken up I replied “Well she’ll still be dead in the morning then wont she” and shut the door and went back to sleep 😆

 

  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Getting a phone call mid week whilst on a day's leave to be told that my work colleague had hung himself the afternoon before just after he left work. A few hours later having trouble trying to decide if I had really taken that phone call or was remembering one of those realistic dreams I sometimes have but wondering how you can call people and ask that question.

  • Like 1
  • Sad 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

When Princess Di died it was the night of our graduation ball (old style uni graduation not the new American style school graduation thats here now) Id not long gone to sleep when someone started battering my hotel door, I opened it to a loud and panicked announcement “PRINCESS DI IS DEAD” A bit miffed at being woken up I replied “Well she’ll still be dead in the morning then wont she” and shut the door and went back to sleep 😆

 

I was away walking the Dorset coast path with a nutty mate. Said mate pissed me off so I made my way home early.
Walked in the house and the first thing Mandi said was "Diana's dead".  Not, what are you doing home, want some food or even hello.:classic_laugh:
 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same as Tango, 9/11 I was at work and we had a hotel barge full of US tourists in the port at the time.

Start of the first gulf war, I was on a yacht in Geurnsey when the navstar GPS system was shut down ( satellites belonging to US military and either re oriented to cover the gulf or civilian access shut down) 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, XTreme said:

Another Black Day falls tomorrow (Thursday)......55 years since the Aberfan Disaster!

spacer.png

Bizarrely, that actually made the french news this morning ( obviously at the time as well but I wasn't born then) I couldn't make out why this year and not previously, like on the 50th anniversay for ex? 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, MooN said:

Bizarrely, that actually made the french news this morning ( obviously at the time as well but I wasn't born then) I couldn't make out why this year and not previously, like on the 50th anniversay for ex? 

Slow news day and they needed filler probably.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9/11, was at school finishing lunch, someone turned the cafeteria’s tv to see the news and saw the second plane hit the towers while people still thought the first one was accidental.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Pedro said:

9/11, was at school finishing lunch, someone turned the cafeteria’s tv to see the news and saw the second plane hit the towers while people still thought the first one was accidental.

 

I was late back from lunch at work because I'd been skiving and thought I would be in trouble. But I walked in to find a portable tv had been set up and everyone was gathered around it and all telling me that a plane had hit a building in America. I think I was there when the second one hit, not sure.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, yen_powell said:

I was late back from lunch at work because I'd been skiving and thought I would be in trouble. But I walked in to find a portable tv had been set up and everyone was gathered around it and all telling me that a plane had hit a building in America. I think I was there when the second one hit, not sure.

I was watching it on Sky News.......living in Chepstow then!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had been out for a bike ride and stopped off at our usual burger van for a coffee and the lady in there told us that she'd just heard that Marco Simoncelli had been killed. Couldn't believe it. 

  • Like 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Tango said:

We had been out for a bike ride and stopped off at our usual burger van for a coffee and the lady in there told us that she'd just heard that Marco Simoncelli had been killed. Couldn't believe it. 

When it happened I wasn't surprised......he was always riding way beyond his limits.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9/11 was during my very short bikeless phase. I had just bought my house so cash was tight. I was using the bus to get to work. The news had already filtered through to us.. as a 'shocked kind of rumour'. no more than that. I got off the bus in town, the stop was very close to an Australian themed sports bar, it had TVs in the window and I will never forget the sight. A fairy large crowd of people standing in total silence transfixed by the visuals.

But, the black day that will always remain with me was rather different. A black day for the nation, but one of the best days I have ever had. The day of Dianas funeral. I was living in Manchester. at the time and couldn't bear the idea of wall to wall doom and gloom on the TV. so I went out on the bike, up through Bowland and then over to the lakes. And it is no exaggeration to say it was like the scene from '28 days later'. for hours on end I never saw a car, vehicle of any kind. person. Nothing. Places that are normally mental with tourists.. deserted. Windermere, Ambleside, Keswick. you name it. Nobody out. I called in at a petrol station to be greeted by a red eyed assistant in floods of tears. Coming back I came down the M6 for some of the way..  and only saw a few trucks. stopped at Lancaster south. deserted aside from staff and a few truckers. was bizarre to be parked up in an empty car park on the motorway.

Its a day I'll never ever forget. absolutely wonderful. (though extremely weird)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Motobiker said:

9/11 was during my very short bikeless phase. I had just bought my house so cash was tight. I was using the bus to get to work. The news had already filtered through to us.. as a 'shocked kind of rumour'. no more than that. I got off the bus in town, the stop was very close to an Australian themed sports bar, it had TVs in the window and I will never forget the sight. A fairy large crowd of people standing in total silence transfixed by the visuals.

But, the black day that will always remain with me was rather different. A black day for the nation, but one of the best days I have ever had. The day of Dianas funeral. I was living in Manchester. at the time and couldn't bear the idea of wall to wall doom and gloom on the TV. so I went out on the bike, up through Bowland and then over to the lakes. And it is no exaggeration to say it was like the scene from '28 days later'. for hours on end I never saw a car, vehicle of any kind. person. Nothing. Places that are normally mental with tourists.. deserted. Windermere, Ambleside, Keswick. you name it. Nobody out. I called in at a petrol station to be greeted by a red eyed assistant in floods of tears. Coming back I came down the M6 for some of the way..  and only saw a few trucks. stopped at Lancaster south. deserted aside from staff and a few truckers. was bizarre to be parked up in an empty car park on the motorway.

Its a day I'll never ever forget. absolutely wonderful. (though extremely weird)

What bliss and the complete opposite of my experience 😂

I returned to my accommodation that morning to a steady stream of people wanting to come into my room because a couple of years earlier Id made the maintenance guy a cup of coffee and in return he volunteered to hook my tv to the main aerial on the top of a block of flats so I was the only one with a decent tv reception, everyone else had varying amounts of snow and hiss. 

I was never a Lady Di fan. It was the most excruciating two days worth of people watching my tv, crying and not leaving. The ridiculousness of the hysteria was being played out on repeat in my bedroom ad nauseum. I left them my room keys and drove over 100miles to get away from it 😂

ps When I got back they had found my snack drawer and eaten the flipping lot. Remembered to clean it out before I did a bunk on the day of her funeral!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Privacy Policy