For a long time the police thought it was a collision of the underground trains. The police declare the situation as a major incident. At 9.20am the train line is suspended (explosion hit at 8.50). Code amber is alerted, this is only the 2 nd time ever. Start evacuation of entire underground. Trying to close of streets and areas around the underground stations proving difficult. Aiming to get the area of worst impact but still not certain of what happened. Difficulty in getting information, police looking for signs of a chemical attack. 1 st confirmation of it being 3 separate incidents makes it clear it was a terrorist attack. Police first to arrive on train at Russell Square. Confirmation of at least 10 ambulances needed. When arrived at carriage where explosion had taken place was very smoke filled and difficult to see. All agreed it had a very eerie feeling. Admitted that they were afraid of what they were going to find. Police could see a number of bodies, some dead and some severely injured. At 9.47 a bomb is exploded on a bus in Tavistock Square. Police arrived at bus to find a lot of human and bus debris and people in a lot of panic and very seriously injured or dead. On trains officers described it as a scene from a horror film or hell on earth. It was difficult to know who was dead and who was alive.

First call ambulance received was to get to Liverpool Station. Roads were starting to be closed of and so it was difficult to get some areas quickly. Large number of people injured, hospitals were on major alert. Hospitals were clearing areas and getting resources ready for casualties. There was a possible 400 injuries at Edgeware Road. At bus incident ambulances ran out of stretchers and had to use tables and bits of the blown up bus. Every hospital on alert, staff were shocked at the extent of injuries. A lot of patients had severe burns, limb injuries, amputees, bones protruding through skin. Doctors had to remove clothing from patients and body parts to be kept for examination.

First emergency service to get to the trains. Firemen trying to prepare themselves for what they might see/find. They were confronted by total carnage, bodies and people everywhere. They didn’t expect any survivors. When confronted with the bus explosion they found it really difficult to comprehend. Eventually met up with police in the carriage where the bomb had gone off to start to move bodies and save the injured. Firemen having to apologise to dead bodies for the way they were having to move them.

Within 30minutes of the explosion a meeting was called. MI5, Cabinet ministers, police chiefs met up to form ‘Cobra’. Set up video link meeting between Cobra and Tony Blair who was at the G8 summit. They knew it was suicide attacks.

One passenger who was not in the carriage where the bomb was set off said she just heard a loud bang and then her carriage filled with smoke. Most other passengers thought it was an electrical fault, those on the carriages started to record on their mobile phones. Everyone was in shock, had to walk along the underground line to get out and most still were not sure of what had happened. One passenger who was a police officer decided to go to the carriage where the incident happened, still not really sure of what had happened. When she reached the carriage there was a lot of blood, bodies and the carriage was in bits. Gill Hicks- a victim who was in the carriage where the bomb was set of. She felt like she was having a heart attack- thought she was dying. Gill Hicks- The emergency light let her see what had happened. Her feet were almost severed and her lower legs barely still there. She realised she could not panic and that she had to stay calm so blood wouldn’t pump more. Gill- fear of not knowing when help was coming. Finally saw a torch and someone say priority 1. Gill survived but suffered 3 heart attacks, lost 75% of her blood and both legs were amputated below the knee. Bus blast victims who had survived in really bad physical and mental state. 52 people die and over 700 were injured.

3 million people travel on the underground each day. All emergency officers had had terrorist attack training. Emergency services officers had to report fir duty the next day. Largest criminal enquiry in UK history. There was no notice or warning of this attack. How do the emergency service men and women deal with the memory of what they witnessed on 7/7?