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This Powerful Love And Loss Story On The London Underground Is Going Viral On Twitter
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This Powerful Love And Loss Story On The London Underground Is Going Viral On Twitter

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Dr. Margaret McCollum, a general practitioner, met Oswald Laurence in 1992 on a tour to Morocco. He had just left acting and was working for a tour and cruise company. The two fell in love, got married, and had been living together in north London until Oswald’s death in 2007.

“It was devastating to lose him,” Dr McCollum told the BBC. “He had a great zest for life.”

One of the things that helped the widow in dealing with the grieving process was hearing her late husband’s voice in the tube. You see, Oswald’s voice recording was used on the northbound Northern Line to tell passengers to “mind the gap.”However, it was eventually phased out until only the Embankment underground station used it.

Dr. McCollum said she traveled the London Underground a lot via Embankment. “Since he died, I would sit and wait for the next train until I heard his voice.”

But one time she was stunned finding that the public announcement wasn’t there anymore.

“I inquired and I was told there was a new digital system and they could not get his voice on it.” But that wasn’t the end of it.

A recent Twitter thread revisited the heartwarming story, reminding us about the faith-in-humanity we sometimes need to restore in ourselves. Told by historian John Bull, it perfectly captures the feelings of love and losing a loved one, which often go together.

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Image credits: garius

Image credits: garius

Image credits: garius

This Powerful Love And Loss Story On The London Underground Is Going Viral On Twitter

Image credits: bbc

Image credits: garius

This Powerful Love And Loss Story On The London Underground Is Going Viral On Twitter

Image credits: bbc

Image credits: garius

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This Powerful Love And Loss Story On The London Underground Is Going Viral On Twitter

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Image credits: bbc

Image credits: garius

Image credits: garius

This Powerful Love And Loss Story On The London Underground Is Going Viral On Twitter

Image credits: bbc

Image credits: garius

Image credits: garius

This Powerful Love And Loss Story On The London Underground Is Going Viral On Twitter

Image credits: Paul Wilkinson

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Image credits: garius

This Powerful Love And Loss Story On The London Underground Is Going Viral On Twitter

Image credits: Ewan Munro

Image credits: garius

Bull told Bored Panda that he’s known this story for years, actually. “I think a lot of people in the world of London transport do, it’s just something that doesn’t come up in casual conversation,” he said. “I wrote about it now, just because I was reminded of it while passing through Embankment myself last week and hearing the announcement again.”

He was kinda surprised with the way the internet has reacted to it, but that reaction’s also a reflection of why he shared it. “For a lot of people, for various reasons, the world feels like a dark, unkind place right now. I just wanted to remind people that small acts of kindness are all around us, and when humans work together we can make a difference, even if it’s for just one person.”

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Nigel Holness, the former London Underground director, also confirmed this happened. “Transport for London were approached by the widow of Oswald Laurence to see whether she could get a copy of the iconic ‘mind the gap’ announcement her husband made over 40 years ago,” he said. “We were very touched by her story, so staff tracked down the recording.”

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    People were incredibly moved by the heartwarming story

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    John Bull also wanted to use the opportunity to talk about the Age UK campaign to help make sure old people don’t spend Christmas alone.

    According to a new survey, this special holiday is the loneliest time of the year for over 1.5 million older people, with those who have been widowed feeling it the most.

    Age UK and local Age UKs across the country work hard to fight loneliness through a range of services and activities, such as lunch clubs, exercise classes and advice and support when there’s no one else to turn to.

    Age UK is encouraging people to get behind its campaign and to donate to help ensure that the charity’s essential services and support can continue to be there for older people and their families and friends. For more information, click here.

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    Ilona Baliūnaitė

    Ilona Baliūnaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

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    I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

    Read less »
    Ilona Baliūnaitė

    Ilona Baliūnaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Read less »

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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    Not what you think.
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Usually I am not bothered by Onion cutting Ninjas but it seems they practiced a lot today. They achieved what they set out to do.

    Load More Replies...
    Amanda Monroe
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is just beautiful. My mom passed almost 2 years ago now, just 2 months before my daughter, her first grandchild, was born. My husband took a video of the day we went to see her and told her that she was going to be a Nana and I regularly watch it again, over and over, just to see her face and hear her voice... I sure do miss her

    Effseven Six
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'll never hear "mind the gap" the same way ever again. It will always bring me back to this beautiful story.

    Load More Comments
    Not what you think.
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Usually I am not bothered by Onion cutting Ninjas but it seems they practiced a lot today. They achieved what they set out to do.

    Load More Replies...
    Amanda Monroe
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is just beautiful. My mom passed almost 2 years ago now, just 2 months before my daughter, her first grandchild, was born. My husband took a video of the day we went to see her and told her that she was going to be a Nana and I regularly watch it again, over and over, just to see her face and hear her voice... I sure do miss her

    Effseven Six
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'll never hear "mind the gap" the same way ever again. It will always bring me back to this beautiful story.

    Load More Comments
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