Most terrible thing and the best - all in one 30p tube ride!
Summer 1982, on the Northern line between Leics Sqr and Camden Town after a brilliant sunny Sunday afternoon at the ICA. Shortly after leaving Goodge St the train passes through what seems to be a wall of flame, then stops as someone pulls the communication cord! I was in the front carriage and as it began to fill up with smoke, rushed back and went into the second carriage where people didn’t yet seem to know what had happened, then I went to the connecting door to the third carriage, but was horrified to see a solid wall of fire blocking any further escape. The carriage was filling up with black oily smoke and I laid on the floor with a scarf over my mouth, the sole consolation being the knowledge that I’d pass out before dying. Was also aware that the whole of my life wasn’t passing before my eyes and that it was a bit crap to meet my end on the dirty floor of a 30p tube ride!
As you may have guessed that didn’t happen and (now we’re getting to the best bit!) after about twenty minutes of lying on the floor with breathing getting more and more difficult, suddenly the connecting door opened and a fireman in a breathing mask stepped through and commanded, “Follow me!”
Being the closest to the door, I followed him until he walked into the wall of flame and disappeared! I stopped, but the rest of the passengers were pouring out of the carriage and inadvertently pushed me into the flames and I passed through the wall of fire, which had looked like an inferno, but was actually only a few inches deep - like something one might see in a circus.
Will that do!