Condolences from the British Isles

We have heard over the past 10 days the outpourings of pain and anger about our people injured and killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the plane in Pennsylvania. What we haven't seen too much of though is the outpourings of support from our friends across the Atlantic, Britain. On this page I will show how they have responded to our pain, and you will find out that they too have had their share of mourning

From the first morning when the terrorists attacked New York and Washington DC, and the plane went down in Pennsylvania Prime Minister Tony Blair has publicly announced the United Kingdoms support for our country. He stated that they would be standing shoulder to shoulder with us. Along with Britain other European countries pledged their support as well, but have since that time decided to only support if we do not go to war. However Tony Blair, Queen Elizabeth 11, and the British people are behind us 100%, war or no war. Many of their forces of military power have been sent to the Middle East, and more will be leaving in the next few days.

It is rare for the Queen to show emotion, here is one of those occasions, the Memorial service at St Pauls Cathedral in London.

As well as thousands of our people being killed in the attacks, other countries also lost people. The United Kingdom lost over 200 people, and the number is still rising. New York is a popular area for British people to live, Gloria and her family lived close to there for 12 years before moving to Minnesota in 1993.

Various precedences have taken place in England since the attacks. In St Pauls Cathedral where a special service was held for the people killed, the United States National Anthem was played for the first time ever. The Queen sang the National Anthem, that is a first as well, as she is never seen singing. At the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace the band played the United States National Anthem while thousands of people watched and sang while Prince Andrew and the United States Ambassador watched.

Crowds outside St Pauls Cathedral during the special memorial service. Many people were in tears while they listened to the service inside the Cathedral.

During the three minute silence most of Britain came to a standstill while they pondored on the horrendous happenings in America and prayed, again a precedence.

The House of Commons takes a 3 minute break of silence, before they go back to working out what can be done about terrorism in the world.	At a Mosque in Birmingham the people pray during the 3 minute silence. Most Moslems in the world are peaceful, loving people, and feel just as bad as we do about this atrocity in America.	As do the workers in a London City office. Many of these people lost friends in the World Trade Center.
Outside the Houses of Parliament people stop in their busy day. All turn towards Big Ben to watch the time go slowly past.	Heathrow Airport stops business for 3 minutes. All transatlantic flights had been cancelled and many Americans were stranded in England.	Headlines in the Sun newspaper, the Day the World Stood Still. School-children all around Britain sit quietly for 3 minutes as people wherever they were stopped, contemplated and cried.

Outside the American Embassy in London, people have been coming since the 11th to lay flowers and sign condolence books, here the 3 minute silence took place with many tears from the Americans who were in England at the time. Many could not return as flights had been stopped and so the British people took care of them in the best way they could. Some near the airports offered their homes for the people to stay at, food was offered and many hugs, smiles and words of encouragement were given. In a time of crisis the two Nations came together in their shock and horror.

At American Airforce Bases the silence took effect, as it did in the streets and Railway Stations all around Britain.