'My daughter died in the London bombings - I had to do one thing when I saw her body'
A heartbroken mother has opened up about losing her daughter in the London Bombings ahead of a new documentary being released about the 2005 attacks. 7/7: The London Bombings will tell the story of the co-ordinated suicide attacks which took place on London's public transport nearly two decades ago, and will begin airing on BBC Two on Monday 6 January. The series follows the attacks forensically and painstakingly, telling the events of the horrific ordeal in detail.
Around 800 people were injured in the the London Bombings, with a total of 52 losing their lives. Among those who died was Jenny Nicholson, a 24 year old who had been travelling from Reading to central London for work. She was killed in a suicide attack by Mohammed Sidique Khan on the eastbound Circle line at Edgware Road station, where her train had diverted due to a mechanical issue. Jenny's mother, Julie Nicholson, has shared her story and opened up about her grief, nearly 20 years after her daughter lost her life.
Julie, who is an author and former vicar, revealing that she'd grown concerned about her daughter after hearing about the attacks and became panicked when she called Jenny's work and found she hadn't turned up. She said as the day went on she "worked harder to keep positive".
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The day after the attacks, Julie visited the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, where injured survivors had been taken. However, there was no sign of Jenny and five further days of uncertainty followed, which Julie described as "excruciating". The sad news was finally confirmed, and Julie had one final moment with her late daughter.
"When we finally had the news. I was advised not to see Jenny, but I wanted to be with her," Julie explained to TV Times. "And because I'm a priest, I could anoint her body. That wasn't a religious act. It was about capturing that closeness between mother and child; a moment of birth, a moment of death."
Julie admitted she still feels anger about the events that took place, saying: "I don't think I'll ever be reconciled to the fact that acts of terrorism take place. My anger that we live in a world where innocent lives are lost will never go away. And my daughter's part of that."
Julie is among those recounting their horror stories from the 2005 attacks in the new BBC Two documentaries. Four hour-long episodes are due to air, featuring interviews with family members of the victims, frontline rescuers and those seriously injured in the attacks. Interviews with Prime Minister Tony Blair, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair and then Home Secretary Charles Clarke are also included.
Simon Young, BBC Head of Commissioning, History, says: “It’s difficult to comprehend just how febrile and frenzied those weeks felt like in London and across the country, nearly twenty years ago. This series painstakingly pieces together the chain of events, moments of resilience and hope, as well as tragedy and horror. The result is a frank portrait of how the nation responded, when our streets became a new kind of frontline.”
7/7: The London Bombings starts on Sunday 5 January and Monday 6 January at 9pm on BBC Two. The entire series is available to stream on BBC iPlayer from Sunday 5 January.
