Silence
This time it is my turn to torture the trusty LBC members with a topic, and I have chosen
Silence
“Silence is golden”, or so goes the line of a song, but this silence was deafening!
I was sitting beside the Black Man, where Fisherwick Place intersects with Wellington Place in Belfast. To my left was ‘Inst’ or to give it the correct name - the Academical Institution with The City Hall along the street in the other direction.
The ink was hardly dry on my wedding certificate and I not a full week in my newly adopted home. A late July day and the sunshine was warm through the windscreen of the car. I was alone. It was against the law to leave cars unattended on the streets of Belfast, or indeed of any town in Northern Ireland, back then. Jack had nipped off to take care of a small errand and I was content to sit and soak up the sounds and sights of Belfast City.
The great silence followed an earth shaking explosion! Not knowing the lie of the land, I did not know the direction of the noise. Jack was out there somewhere. The last sight I had of him was heading round a corner…..
Suddenly all signs of traffic evaporated and pedestrians disappeared, I was alone in my new world.
The words ‘A bomb has exploded…’ were not new to my ears, they were the leading headline of the news on most days of the week. I had just heard the actual sound as it happened, for the first time in my life!
Time stood still.
It may have been minutes, but it felt like hours before I saw the lone figure running towards me. His steady pace was interrupted by the sound of a second explosion, this time from further away. I recognised the running figure and his uneven step, it was Jack.
Practically falling into the car he gasped for breath. While I was concerned for him, he was frantically worrying about me sitting, waiting and not knowing. Once he got his breath back, he told me the direction of the bomb and that from the sound of the second bang, it was a controlled explosion by the army.
Happy to be safe and together, we drove home. In silence.
rummuser said,
March 4, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Phew!
wisewebwoman said,
March 4, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Wowser, GM!
I had a similar experience way back:
http://wisewebwoman.blogspot.com/search?q=ira
I never took life for granted afterwards.
So so glad you and Jack were safe!
XO
WWW
gaelikaa said,
March 4, 2011 at 3:04 pm
What a story! So very glad you both came through unscathed. x
Rhyelysgranny said,
March 4, 2011 at 5:07 pm
It was not a nice time. I remember heart stopping moments when I heard a bomb far away but none so close as yours.
Grannymar said,
March 4, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Ramana - I think that was our reaction once we reached home.
WWW - I remember reading and commenting on that post. Like you I never took life for granted and was sure to tell those I loved how much they meant to me every time they left home.
Grannymar said,
March 4, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Gaelikaa - So were we!
RG -Thankfully it was the closest I got to a bomb going off, I do know of families who were torn apart and loved ones lost.
About five or six years ago I had a visitor to stay and I had taken him up along the coast and to all the usual spots. It was a late September day and we ended up at Ballintoy sitting on the rocks and eating ice cream. It was a golden moment and neither of us wanted the day to end. We were soon brought down to earth on the journey home. There were four cars burning, one at each entrance to the town (just pure mindless badness). It was a tricky moment as I thought about and managed to work our way back to the house. I had to pass very close to two of those cars and either of them could have blown up as we passed!
nick said,
March 4, 2011 at 7:41 pm
How different life is in Belfast now from those perilous times. That weird silence after a bomb explosion must have been extraordinary. I didn’t realise it was forbidden to leave a car unattended. That must have made shopping very difficult.
Grannymar said,
March 4, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Nick - The difference between then and now is unbelievable. Back then you had to use a carpark and there were not as many as there are now. Shopping was another thing altogether, being frisked and your bags opened, even handbags, every time you entered a shop. Mind you the men did not have the contents of their pockets examined.
bikehikebabe said,
March 4, 2011 at 11:26 pm
I was always interested in the conflict of Ireland–British Ireland & Free Ireland. BUT OMG!!! This is Personal & Up Close!
Big John said,
March 5, 2011 at 1:12 pm
I can still remember the silence after a V1 German ‘flying bomb’ landed near my school towards the end of WW2.
Re. Ireland … I did visit Belfast during “the troubles”. I even drove through South Armagh. All I remember was that everywhere I went I was asked … “is yoos English ?” … and not always with a smile.
Grannymar said,
March 5, 2011 at 1:36 pm
BHB - Did you manage to understand it? Many of us who lived here never managed that!
Big John - My late husband had a very strong Durham accent, and was accepted by all sides. In fact he was often sent to deal with problems in areas that the local reps refused to call. I suppose being a Burma Veteran from WW11 and having survived horrific injuries, he no longer feared anything.
shackman said,
March 6, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Wow. Thank you for sharing. That’s an amazing real glimpse into those times.
Grannymar said,
March 6, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Shackman - An occasional jog to the past, allows us to appreciate the life and freedom we have now.
Alice said,
March 11, 2011 at 9:18 pm
I remember watching news stories about the turbulence of those times. Nothing brings it closer to reality than hearing a story like yours. Happy the ending was good.
Grannymar said,
March 11, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Alice, It was a great relief to reach home.