Thoughtful Day...

Obviously not taken today and not my picture but I was brought up short by something I heard this morning. Please read on.....

Yesterday was Manchester Day and there was a big parade through the city centre. It’s in its sixth year but I’ve never been to see it. While I am very fond of Manchester it’s always seemed a little self indulgent to have a day celebrating the fact that a place exists. Never really been comfortable with that. Maybe I’ll give it a try next year. The parade does look impressive, each of the groups involved has an artist to direct the look of their part of the parade so each does look very professional and imaginative.

I woke up this morning and turned on Radio 4. They do this thing where they tell you what happened on this day in previous years. I felt a sense of shock when the presenter announced that on this day in 1996 the largest bomb in peacetime in the UK was exploded in Manchester. The IRA had parked a white van, packed with explosives, outside M&S on Corporation Street. It exploded devastating a square mile of the city centre that took over 10 years to repair and cost £1.3 billion. Fortunately no one died but there were 200 injuries, a miracle in itself as it was Saturday morning and the city centre was full with 100,000 people.

I was in there on that day sourcing Father’s Day presents. We did walk past the van but didn’t take notice of it. It was just a white van. The fact we actually walked past something so destructive still panics me. Then things got weird with the police evacuating the area and you know that it’s serious when the normally cool, level headed, professional police women of the city are screaming ‘Move! Now!’ at you.

We eventually came to rest at a cafe on the corner of Cross Street and Albert Square. We actually ordered drinks and watched a football match between some football fans. The Euro 96 football tournament was in town and there were fans from all over Europe here to watch the games. Some German fans found an old lady and put her in goal for them. We were enjoying ourselves unaware of what was about to happen. At 11 15 another policeman started to move us from the cafe. Then it exploded. I remember the noise, the mushroom cloud, a rush of air hitting us from along Cross Street and what felt like an earthquake under my feet. We dived for cover. Nearly 20 years later it still has the power to upset me.

In the picture you are looking along Cross Street. The devastated M&S building is on the right. In the distance there is a white building, Steam Packet House. We were just beyond it in Albert Square. Far to close for comfort.