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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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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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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
I'll never hear "mind the gap" the same way ever again. It will always bring me back to this beautiful story.
Wish I could hear my daddy's voice just one more time. What a beautiful story.
my dad died at 33 when i was 7, i wish i could hear his voice, damn ninjas...
So touched by this story and how the Tube staff made an incredible effort for just one person. But the fact is, it's never "just" one person... think of the number of hearts you've touched with this act of kindness!
This is so beautiful! I spent a semester in London in the 80s, and rode the Northern line northbound frequently. I remember the "Mind the gap!" voice -- I bet it was Oswald. I'm so happy she gets to hear him again. Just goes to show that not all agencies are coldly bureaucratic.
When my dad finally replaced my mother's greeting on his home phone after she died, a little part of me died too. I mean, it was six years and he'd met someone else so it's not like he went out and did it instantly. But it still killed me the first time I called him and instead of mom's voice it was dad's.
It's the little things in life that count - like the sound of a loved one's voice. What a moving and touching story.
I would think that since he was an actor in a number of movies, albeit very small parts, it would be possible to find clips that have not only his image but his voice as well. Of course they may have all been non speaking parts. Just speculating. Still, it is a heart tugging tale.
This reminds me of the story of the woman who begged Google to get her husbands recordings of Maps requests. Really is the little things :)
My sister in law just died a week ago and I'd give anything to hear her voice again.
My sister in law died less than a week ago and I would give anything to hear her voice one more time.
That is really beautiful. Poor lady. Bet it turns into another film with Emma Thompson, called 'Embankment'. Or maybe just 'Mind the Gap'. With Hugh Grant as the Gap.
I'm so happy for her that she can hear it again. I hope they provided her with a copy!
What a wonderful Christmas story this is. There's still hope for the world.
"still"? The world is demonstrably better than it's ever been. It's awesome!
Load More Replies... 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... 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
I'll never hear "mind the gap" the same way ever again. It will always bring me back to this beautiful story.
Wish I could hear my daddy's voice just one more time. What a beautiful story.
my dad died at 33 when i was 7, i wish i could hear his voice, damn ninjas...
So touched by this story and how the Tube staff made an incredible effort for just one person. But the fact is, it's never "just" one person... think of the number of hearts you've touched with this act of kindness!
This is so beautiful! I spent a semester in London in the 80s, and rode the Northern line northbound frequently. I remember the "Mind the gap!" voice -- I bet it was Oswald. I'm so happy she gets to hear him again. Just goes to show that not all agencies are coldly bureaucratic.
When my dad finally replaced my mother's greeting on his home phone after she died, a little part of me died too. I mean, it was six years and he'd met someone else so it's not like he went out and did it instantly. But it still killed me the first time I called him and instead of mom's voice it was dad's.
It's the little things in life that count - like the sound of a loved one's voice. What a moving and touching story.
I would think that since he was an actor in a number of movies, albeit very small parts, it would be possible to find clips that have not only his image but his voice as well. Of course they may have all been non speaking parts. Just speculating. Still, it is a heart tugging tale.
This reminds me of the story of the woman who begged Google to get her husbands recordings of Maps requests. Really is the little things :)
My sister in law just died a week ago and I'd give anything to hear her voice again.
My sister in law died less than a week ago and I would give anything to hear her voice one more time.
That is really beautiful. Poor lady. Bet it turns into another film with Emma Thompson, called 'Embankment'. Or maybe just 'Mind the Gap'. With Hugh Grant as the Gap.
I'm so happy for her that she can hear it again. I hope they provided her with a copy!
What a wonderful Christmas story this is. There's still hope for the world.
"still"? The world is demonstrably better than it's ever been. It's awesome!
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