Horror at Kings Cross

"My earliest memory is of the Queen coming to Dawley in 1968. I stood with my mother outside Coleman's the butcher's waving a union jack. I can still see her face and gloved hand as the car sailed past.

"My brother was born in 1969. I can remember the blue carrycot being brought in and lots of fuss. Then dad gave me a baby doll to stop me from being jealous, and it worked.

"I was at junior school when the Bay City Rollers shot to the top of the charts.

"I was not quite old enough to follow fashion but remember being jealous of the older girls who had sewn tartan round the bottoms of their trousers and tied more of it round their wrists. My favourite was Woody.

"I was living in London at the time of the Kings Cross disaster. I usually changed at Kings Cross every day but fortunately worked late on that Wednesday evening.

"On the way home they asked us to leave the train at Farringdon, one station before Kings Cross.

'From the bus I saw the black smoke billowing out as we turned the corner into Caledonian Road. I did not know the full horror until I got home and turned the television on.

"I was in Paris when Diana was killed and couldn't help myself from joining the crowds outside the hospital.

"There were camera crews and journalists from all over the world and coincidentally I ended up standing next to a reporter from the Express & Star.

"I thought it was strange that everyone cheered when Prince Charles left with the body."