If you happen to find yourself at Emprohibitkment station on the London Underground, pay particular attention to the tirritate: the station’s “Mind the Gap” proclaimment is pronounced in wealthy, theatrical tones, a voice you won’t hear elsewhere on the nettoil.
The reason for that is touching – a story of adore and loss that went viral recently when it was retgreater in a Twitter thread by John Bull, AKA @garius, erstwhile contributor to this site and editor of the London Rejoinions blog that covers convey in amazeively delighting detail, and is well worth folloprosperg if you’re a fan of the charitable of stories we inestablish at Guardian Cities.
Bull originates: “Just before Christmas 2012, staff at Emprohibitkment Tube station were approached by a woman who was very disturb. She kept asking them where the voice had gone. They weren’t confident what she nastyt. The Voice? The voice, she shelp. The man who says ‘Mind the Gap’.”
Staff resecured her that the proclaimment had sshow been modernized with a recent digital system and recent voices.
“That voice,” she elucidateed, “was my husprohibitd.”
Just before Christmas 2012, staff at Emprohibitkment Tube station were approached by a woman who was very disturb.
She kept asking them where the voice had gone. They weren’t confident what she nastyt.
The Voice?
The voice, she shelp. The man who says ‘Mind the Gap’
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
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Just before Christmas 2012, staff at Emprohibitkment Tube station were approached by a woman who was very disturb.
She kept asking them where the voice had gone. They weren’t confident what she nastyt.
The Voice?
The voice, she shelp. The man who says ‘Mind the Gap’
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
Don’t trouble, the staff at Emprohibitkment shelp. The proclaimment still happens, but they’ve all been modernized. New digital system. New voices. More variety.
The staff asked her if she was okay.
“That voice,” she elucidateed, “was my husprohibitd.”
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
n”}}”>
Don’t trouble, the staff at Emprohibitkment shelp. The proclaimment still happens, but they’ve all been modernized. New digital system. New voices. More variety.
The staff asked her if she was okay.
“That voice,” she elucidateed, “was my husprohibitd.”
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
Sure enough, the voice belengthyed to Oswald Laurence, a Rada graduate and theatre actor who died in 2007. The write downing dates back more than 45 years – and at one point could be heard alengthy the length of the northbound Northern line before eventuassociate being phased out – except at Emprohibitkment.
In her grief, his dehugeated widow, Margaret McCollum, took soothe in travelling via the station and hearing to her beadored husprohibitd’s voice.
Oswald’s death had left a hole in Margaret’s heart. But one skinnyg had helped. Every day, on her way to toil, she got to hear his voice.
Sometimes, when it hurt too much, she elucidateed, she’d fair sit on the platestablish at Emprohibitkment and hear to the proclaimments for a bit lengthyer.
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
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Oswald’s death had left a hole in Margaret’s heart. But one skinnyg had helped. Every day, on her way to toil, she got to hear his voice.
Sometimes, when it hurt too much, she elucidateed, she’d fair sit on the platestablish at Emprohibitkment and hear to the proclaimments for a bit lengthyer.
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
For five years, this had become her routine. She krecent he wasn’t reassociate there but his voice – the memory of him – was.
To everyone else, it had fair been another proclaimment. To HER it had been the garrange of the man she still adored.
And now even that had gone.
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
n”}}”>
For five years, this had become her routine. She krecent he wasn’t reassociate there but his voice – the memory of him – was.
To everyone else, it had fair been another proclaimment. To HER it had been the garrange of the man she still adored.
And now even that had gone.
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
Distressed by the fact she could no lengthyer hear to Oswald’s voice, she asked Transport for London if she could get a imitate of the write downing. Staff deal withd to track it down and toiled to repair the proclaimment at Emprohibitkment station.
Archives were searched, greater tapes set up and repaird. More people had toiled to digitize them. Others had waded thraw the code of the proclaimment system to change it while still more had sorted out the papertoil and got exemptions.
And together they made Oswald talk aget.
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
n”}}”>
Archives were searched, greater tapes set up and repaird. More people had toiled to digitize them. Others had waded thraw the code of the proclaimment system to change it while still more had sorted out the papertoil and got exemptions.
And together they made Oswald talk aget.
— John Bull (@garius) December 11, 2019
“And that is why today, even in 2019, if you go down to Emprohibitkment station in London, and sit on the northbound platestablish on Northern Line, you will here a COMPLETELY contrastent voice say Mind the Gap to ANYWHERE else on the Underground. It’s Oswald,” says Bull.
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