7/7 survivor's animated video recalls horror of King's Cross tube bomb

A survivor of the 7/7 bombings, who has never publicly spoken about her experience, has created an animation video detailing the attack and thanking the “guardian angel” who helped her on the day.

Georgina Ferguson was on her way to work on 7 July 2005, when the underground train on which she was travelling was blown up by one of the four suicide bombers who attacked London’s transport network, killing 52 people. She has been reluctant to talk about her memories of that day, to the extent that many of her friends don’t even know she was involved in the tragedy.

Now, in what she calls an act of “remembrance, tribute and gratitude”, the graphic designer and teacher from south London has made a video to mark the 10-year anniversary of the event and to thank the stranger who helped her move on.

“I was one of the Londoners involved in the King’s Cross bombings,” Ferguson wrote in the description to the video. “That morning I found myself on the carriage behind the one that was bombed, in which 26 people lost their lives.

“I have never publicly spoken about what happened that day. Nor do a lot of my friends know that I was even involved. A year ago I realised that it was going to be the 10-year anniversary this July and decided that this would be a good time to share my experience. I am no wordsmith so I thought it might be best to use animation to communicate my story; as a motion graphic designer this felt most appropriate to me.

“This is my story of Seven Seven, and how a stranger’s kindness helped me get out and start to move on. I never asked my guardian angel’s name, something I regret as I’ve never been able to really thank them. This animation is my way of giving them thanks – I really hope it can reach them.”

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The Arts Council-funded video, co-directed by Eduarda Lima and scored by Phillipe Lenzini, has Ferguson retrace her steps on the morning of the attack. Amid crashing sounds and a piercing background noise, she explains where she was when the bomb went off and how she got out of the underground train. She recalls:

I had a new job, it was my second day and I didn’t want to be late. I waited for a train on the platform. It was really busy, so I moved along a carriage. It was only the next carriage, but moving that small distance would minutes later save my life ...

There was soot coming through the ceiling. I and many others believed there was a fire. I looked at the faces around me, everyone was panicking. People were yelling at the others to stop screaming, people were speculating about where the soot was coming from. I couldn’t see anything, no one could, there were too many people in the way.

I didn’t know what was happening. I felt afraid, I felt alone, I believed I was going to die, and started to cry. Out of nowhere a man took a photo of me. Another man nearby saw it happening and tried to comfort me, it was only then that I realised that I still had my headphones in. When we spoke I began to calm down ...

The man that helped me earlier remained by my side the whole time. I was worried about being late for my new job, I still thought I had to get there.

I was surprised to see that there was chaos above the ground too. We walked down the road, aimlessly at first. People kept approaching us and asking if we were okay. I had no idea why, but I now know it was because I had a black face from the soot.

We ended up walking all the way to Angel, where we tried to find a cab. Some passersby tried to help, others just helped themselves. Eventually I got hold of my mum, I explained I’d been in a train crash, it was not until then that I realised what had happened.

As the man left the cab he assured me that I shouldn’t let this experience affect my life. I wish I had asked his name. The following Monday I was back on the tube.”

Ferguson’s video comes as plans are put in place to mark the 10-year anniversary of one of the deadliest terror attacks Britain has witnessed. Survivors of bombings and relatives of those who died will join David Cameron, Boris Johnson and other politicians and members of the emergency services at memorial events next week.

Ferguson, now the mother of a young son, ends her video with the note: “This animation was created by Georgina Ferguson to share her memory of 7th July 2005 ... to say thank you to her guardian angel for helping her ... and pay tribute to the 52 people who lost their lives that day. Please remember.”