Preparing for the Tenth Anniversary of September 11th

In some ways, it feels presumptuous for me to write about the tenth anniversary of 9/11. At the time of the attacks, I wasn’t here yet – my posting in New York didn’t begin until 2008. It seems like so much has been written by people better qualified to reflect on the last ten years. However, I have been here for the last years of a very important decade for New York City and the US, and though my perspective may be limited by time, I’ve witnessed many of the changes the City has undergone since that tragic September day. During the past three-and-a-half years, I have been the Consulate’s representative to the British Garden at Hanover Square, the New York memorial to the 67 British victims. I have also had the privilege of escorting several official visitors to the constantly and rapidly-changing new World Trade Center site. And for those of us at the Consulate, the past couple of weeks, and especially this Sunday, have been about ensuring that the anniversary is marked fittingly. 

Our focus is firmly on the family members of the victims who have come to New York to attend the opening of the official 9/11 Memorial. We expect a higher turnout than usual, with a substantial number of British police and other emergency service representatives, including the West Yorkshire Constabulary Band and the West Lothian Police Choir. Volunteers from the Consulate, who will help us on the day, have been briefed. We generally call on our colleagues from the Borders Agency, Consular and UKTI teams to help us with the big events, and their response is always fantastic. Karl Jenkins, OBE, will host a special performance of his work The Armed Man at Lincoln Center.

Around the margins of the visit, we’re also helping to forge links between organisations representing the interests of UK and US service personnel injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have worked with Walking with the Wounded, who will present on their plan at USS Intrepid on 13 September.

At a personal level, it’s the stories and the everyday reminders that truly bring it home for us. A friend who was in one of the Towers at the time of the attack. Or our colleague’s brother died at the World Trade Center.  Or another colleague, who was working at the Consulate on our emergency response, whose husband fortunately made it out of the Towers, where his office had been located. As we walk along the New York City streets, we see the memorial plaques under trees, or the photographs of fallen firefighters in the FDNY firehouse located around the corner from the Consulate. We are deeply touched when we see photos of children who lost family members taken to a summer school in the UK each year as part of the British Council’s UK 9/11 Scholarships Fund. Reminders of lives that have kept on going but have never, ever been the same.

On Sunday, we’ll be all about the work – getting it right for the families and for the people who have made the journey to pay their respects. When we’re finished, taking the subway or the train home, we’ll have a chance to reflect on the day, and what it meant to us to be part of it.