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‘I saw many heroes,’ says Jewish pensioner caught in aftermath of London Bridge terror attack
Pensioner tells of being left shaken by horror of scenes as she left nearby theatre
June 5, 2017 11:04
Pensioner tells of being left shaken by horror of scenes as she left nearby theatre
June 5, 2017 11:04A Jewish pensioner has described her shock at witnessing the aftermath of the terror attack at London Bridge.
The pensioner, who asked not to be named, was among a group of 10 Jewish women who were attempting to leave a nearby theatre when the atrocity took place.
The group had gone to watch Lettice And Lovage, starring Felicity Kendal and Maureen Lipman, at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Southwark Street, south London.
But as the production came to an end, just as the audience began to leave the theatre, the duty manager intervened and ordered them to remain in their seats due to “an incident outside”.
The audience had no idea of what was unfolding outside.
But alarm bells were raised when one member of staff said they had just seen someone covered in blood through the windows of the theatre’s restaurant upstairs.
“The show finished just after 10pm on Saturday night,” one of the women, who asked not to be named, told the JC.
“It was a really enjoyable night out and I remember asking the woman next me when we could all go out together again.
“Just as we were getting up to walk out of the theatre the duty manager came in and said we should all stay seated “because of an incident outside”.”
After being offered water by the theatre staff and staying seated for around 20 minutes the audience were given strict and stern orders by another staff member who said: “Right, leave. Now!”
“As we walked out the theatre it was obvious there was something serious that had gone on,” the woman added.
“There were police everywhere, and we were made to go under some police tape and told to turn left and leave the area immediately.
“There were police cars, loads of ambulances, and across the road people were running to get away.
“We realised we wouldn’t be able to go to back to the car that my friends had driven us to the theatre in, as it was in the car park area that was right in the middle of the crime scene.
“We started to try and walk towards Waterloo Station on the north side of London, but we were struggling as one of the women I was with couldn’t walk very well.
“At one point we thought about trying to check in at an hotel in the area – but they were trying to charge us £190 each for a room .
“We then saw a black taxi come past with its light off. The driver initially shook his head to say he wasn’t working.
“But I walked up to the window and pleaded with him saying my friend was finding it difficult to walk.
“The driver told us to get in – and we initially said drop us at Waterloo, but he agreed to take us all the way back to Finchley and didn’t want to charge us. The driver, who was called Nigel said to me: “I can’t charge you – your face said it all to me.”
“ I can’t thank him enough.”
The shocked pensioner said it wasn’t until the following day that she realised the full horror of what had gone on outside the theatre she had been at on Saturday.
“I’m still shaken up a bit by it all now,” she told the JC. “Of course I’m upset by the loss of life and the tremendous suffering this has caused for so many people.
“But I also saw many heroes on Saturday night. From the police, to the ambulance workers, to the taxi driver that took us home. I won’t be able to forget what has happened.”
