Strange

Ceremony to mark 7/7 anniversary

by Jordan Yerman | July 7, 2007 at 09:27 am

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Organizers of today's two-year anniversary memorial of the bus attacks in central London have shied away from public spectacle, letting today's commemoration get eclipsed by positive events such as Live Earth and the opening stage of the Tour de France.

The second anniversary of the 7 July London suicide bombings which killed 52 people has been marked with a ceremony at a memorial garden to the victims.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, London mayor Ken Livingstone and Olympics and London Minister Tessa Jowell joined relatives at King's Cross.

Hundreds of people were injured in the attacks on three Tube trains and a bus.

Some victims claim they are struggling to deal with a complex and unwieldy compensation system.

The memorial ceremony was held at King's Cross station shortly before 0900 BST, when the first bomb exploded two years ago.

The prime minister laid a wreath bearing the handwritten message: "In remembrance and with deepest sympathy."

John Falding, who lost his partner Anat Rosenberg in the Tavistock Square bus bomb, said events like Saturday's helped him to cope.

"I certainly found that last year I gained a lot of strength from it. Otherwise I would find myself sitting at home feeling mawkish."