0:00:02 > 0:00:04Ordinary people who shared an extraordinary moment in history.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07I've met somebody who I never thought I was going to see again.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09You think your life is over...
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I just assumed I was about to be executed.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15..when an everyday hero steps in to save you.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Singlehandedly managed to rescue 27 people.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21You work in A&E, you think you're beyond surprises.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26We went through all that and then just lost each other.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Brought together by fate, separated by life...
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Today, passengers and crew taken hostage
0:00:39 > 0:00:44on the only British plane ever to be hijacked are reunited.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47The feelings inside were that you were going to die.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50The hijackers were saying that they would blow the plane up
0:00:50 > 0:00:51and everybody in it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56An accident survivor has the chance to thank the men who brought
0:00:56 > 0:00:59her back from the brink.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01I should be dead and I'm not.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03There's not really words to describe how
0:01:03 > 0:01:06grateful you can be to a person who saved your life.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09And the villagers who survived an underground explosion
0:01:09 > 0:01:12share their stories with the heroes who saved them.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16The medical people were brilliant and I long to thank them.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- Nice to see you again.- You too.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Stringent airport security is a lasting
0:01:29 > 0:01:33legacy of the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35But long before 9/11,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38hijacking airliners had become a terrorist tool.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41During the late '60s,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44extremists would regularly take passengers hostage
0:01:44 > 0:01:49and attempt to trade them for the freedom of their jailed comrades.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52But no-one ever imagined it would happen to a British jet.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00I was 15 years old. A gun was held against my head.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02I could actually see these grenades in his pocket
0:02:02 > 0:02:06and I was absolutely terrified.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Scared is not a good enough word.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13In September 1970, terrorists hijacked a passenger plane,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16taking British children as hostages.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18I just kept praying and thinking,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23"Please let me just get out of this plane, just let it stop."
0:02:23 > 0:02:27At 15, you don't expect to face your death.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34On 9th September 1970, around 20 unaccompanied
0:02:34 > 0:02:37school children were flying from Bahrain to London.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Among them were friends - 15-year-old Diana Gregory
0:02:40 > 0:02:41and Malia Staveley.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47My parents lived abroad and my dad worked for the oil company
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and I was going back to boarding school.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Diana and I had just been talking about all the things we'd
0:02:52 > 0:02:55been up to over the summer and what we were going to miss,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59and just generally two friends sitting there, flying back,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02being sophisticated ladies at 15.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05But less than an hour into the flight,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Malia noticed something was wrong.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11I leant out to the middle to see what was going on and that's
0:03:11 > 0:03:14when I grabbed Diana and pulled her over the seat because I said,
0:03:14 > 0:03:15"I think we're being hijacked.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17"There's some men in the middle with guns."
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Further along the plane, 12-year-old Sarah Ablett and her younger
0:03:23 > 0:03:28sister Susan watched in horror as armed hijackers took control.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33The first I knew of it was a steward running down the plane, going,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35"Don't panic, don't panic."
0:03:35 > 0:03:38The school children found themselves caught up in a plot
0:03:38 > 0:03:42lead by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46The guerrillas forced the aircraft to land in the Jordanian desert,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49where two other hijacked planes were being held,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and there, as the world watched, they issued a chilling ultimatum.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56If members of the PFLP held in European jails were not
0:03:56 > 0:04:00released, all the passengers and the jets would be blown up.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04The Jordanian army had surrounded the area,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06but they were in the distance.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09We were hearing that the hijackers were saying if they came
0:04:09 > 0:04:13in an inch closer, they would blow the plane up and everybody in it.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16The PFLP organised an extraordinary press conference in the desert.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Some passengers and crew were instructed to
0:04:19 > 0:04:22stand in front of the plane for the world's media.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Under the scorching desert sun, life incarcerated inside
0:04:28 > 0:04:31the aircraft very quickly became unbearable.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35It was horrible. You did feel really quite claustrophobic in there.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37No electricity or anything like that,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and, in the sweltering heat, the loo soon began to reek.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44The feelings inside were that you were going to die.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47That's...horrible.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50In the hours and days that followed,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Malia and Diana's friendship helped them survive the terror.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56We're girls.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58We just talked about the boys we liked, the ones we didn't like.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03That was helpful, having somebody on there to talk to.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08It's really nice to bond, cos it was a bonding time. You had to.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10It was really nice to have her.
0:05:10 > 0:05:16And it was easier to discuss names, places, dreams, ideas, books,
0:05:16 > 0:05:21anything other than the fact that you could die in a few hours.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23You just didn't face that.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26For three arduous days, the children had no idea
0:05:26 > 0:05:28if they would ever see their parents again.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32But in an unprecedented move, the British Government agreed
0:05:32 > 0:05:35to the guerrillas' demands and released a terrorist
0:05:35 > 0:05:36held in a London jail.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40The next day, the school children boarded a flight for home.
0:05:42 > 0:05:43That's when I felt safe.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Mummy and Daddy were coming to get us.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Having been through an ordeal that brought them closer than
0:05:54 > 0:05:59they ever could have imagined, the children were suddenly separated.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04I never got a chance to say goodbye to Diana, because it was just chaos.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10You didn't get that chance to hug and say, "We're still here."
0:06:10 > 0:06:12You just separated.
0:06:12 > 0:06:1543 years since they lived through the hijacking,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19Malia and Diana are meeting to share memories of how they survived.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27I can't believe it. You look amazing.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31To think that we went through all that and then just lost each other.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36- We did keep each other going. - Oh, we did. For how many days?
0:06:36 > 0:06:38It just seemed like for ever at the time, didn't it?
0:06:38 > 0:06:40You always think on the 9th September...
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Oh, do you know, I don't travel on the 9th September. No.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49I'm at home, just in case. Scary. I can't believe it.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Recognise you anywhere, it's just lovely.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56I'm looking forward to seeing these people,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58because it's 40-odd years ago.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03It will be interesting to hear their stories, to hear what they remember.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10The former hostages have brought keepsakes from the hijacking,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14including PFLP literature signed by crew, other passengers
0:07:14 > 0:07:15and even the hijackers.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I think it's really interesting that they signed them, that we
0:07:19 > 0:07:21managed to get them to sign them.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- They told us they'd take us swimming the next time we came.- Yes.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30The next time we see you. Isn't it fascinating?
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Once the children had escaped the plane,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36the hijackers had one last message for the world's watching media.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43Look at that.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51We were right there, girls.
0:07:51 > 0:07:52God.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Later, crew members share their memories of the flight of terror,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03when hijackers armed with guns and grenades
0:08:03 > 0:08:05took control of their plane.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08One of them said to me, "You come with me,"
0:08:08 > 0:08:11and led me to the rear of the aircraft.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13I just assumed I was about to be executed.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24In the spring of 1984,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27the beautiful rolling landscape of Lancashire became the scene
0:08:27 > 0:08:31of one of the most devastating accidents ever to hit that area.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34What should have been a simple PR trip to a new waterworks
0:08:34 > 0:08:37ended in death and terror.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40There's been a serious explosion tonight at a water treatment plant
0:08:40 > 0:08:41in Lancashire.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Like a bomb blast, cos the whole thing went up like a bomb.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48There were bodies all over the place, debris all over the place.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51A huge rescue operation is now underway.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54A fleet of over 20 ambulances from all over Lancashire has been
0:08:54 > 0:08:55sent to the scene.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00It was just like being in the Second World War, in the front line.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It was that horrific.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Four years earlier, the Queen had opened a North West Water Authority
0:09:10 > 0:09:14project to transfer water between two rivers 20 miles apart.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18The aim of this ground-breaking engineering was to increase
0:09:18 > 0:09:21the supply of drinking water for the region.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24A nearby village downstream from the valve house believed
0:09:24 > 0:09:28the project was to blame for flooding in their area.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31It was up to the water authority to convince residents
0:09:31 > 0:09:33the initiative was not at fault.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Parish councillor Colin Burke remembers the controversy.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39North West Water laid on this demonstration to show us
0:09:39 > 0:09:44their system was not contributing to the flooding in St Michael's.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49On 23rd May, 36 villagers were invited to the valve house to
0:09:49 > 0:09:54hear a water authority presentation about the safety of the project.
0:09:54 > 0:09:5737-year-old John Holmes was among local residents.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00It was a lovely summer's evening and we went
0:10:00 > 0:10:03up to Abbeystead, through the countryside. It is beautiful.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Mother-of-two Pat Kaylor was another worried villager who attended
0:10:06 > 0:10:08the presentation.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10They gave us a lecture to start with
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and then we all went inside the building.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16The underground valve house was a bunker with a reinforced
0:10:16 > 0:10:18concrete roof covered in grass.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Inside, the party congregated on the metal grate floor
0:10:21 > 0:10:24and waited for the water to appear below them.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28So, they switched the pumps on and nothing happened.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32I said to the engineer, "How long will it take for the water to come?"
0:10:32 > 0:10:36He said, "I don't know. I've never been here when the pumps have been switched on."
0:10:36 > 0:10:39So, they switched another pump on, switched pump two on,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42so that pump went on and still nothing happened.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Then there was this almighty blue flash and bang.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50It was a bit like when you get your match to the gas hob
0:10:50 > 0:10:52and you're a bit late with the match.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55EXPLOSION
0:10:55 > 0:11:00We were just...engulfed in flames.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I flew through the air with my hands touching my feet
0:11:03 > 0:11:07and passed to the back wall and hit the back wall.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Part of the hillside had been ripped away by the blast,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13some of the victims were trapped inside,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16others were thrown into the field by the explosion.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18It blew me out of the building.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21I'd been thrown back to the back wall, which is
0:11:21 > 0:11:24about four or five metres away.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Somebody was blown out of the building just after me
0:11:28 > 0:11:29with his shirt on fire.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32The explosion knocked John unconscious.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36When he came to, he was confronted by a scene of utter devastation.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39He crawled through a space where the roof had been
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and immediately realised he had to get help.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46These were the days before mobile phones, and John, suffering
0:11:46 > 0:11:51from severe burns, had to race to a nearby farm to raise the alarm.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Ambulanceman Mike Abel was the first on the scene.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56There were dead bodies, a lot of injured people.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00There were a lot of people wandering around who... They were in a daze.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02I don't think they knew what had happened.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04The roof of the chamber had been completely blown off.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08It used to be supported by huge two-and-a-half-tonne girders.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10They collapsed on the people inside.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I got onto the radio and I contacted our headquarters
0:12:13 > 0:12:16and said, "We'd need as much you can give us NOW."
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Every person that was there had traumatic injuries.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25They had burns and they had blast injuries.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Pat suffered serious burns to her legs, hands, face, neck
0:12:29 > 0:12:33and scalp, but managed to speak to journalists from her hospital bed.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38I couldn't recognise many people because they were burnt like I am.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Their hair was fused together.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44That's why my hair's cut off, it was all fused.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Eight people died in the explosion,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51a death toll that would later rise to 16, including a 12-year-old boy.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53John had 40% burns.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58As soon as we went into the hospital, they were there for us.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02The medical people were brilliant, and I long to thank them.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06Today, 29 years on,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10John is meeting one of the first to arrive on the scene -
0:13:10 > 0:13:12leading ambulanceman Mike.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14After the explosion itself,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18my first point was the ring you guys up to get as many of you guys
0:13:18 > 0:13:23out there as possible to help us, and it did happen.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I remember going down there and seeing that devastation.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29It must have just been one massive flash.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31If you were inside that building, you were very, very lucky.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35- You must have had a guardian angel. - I've got one or two, I can assure you.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37It's great to see somebody who's survived.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40No, but thank you for everything you did for us,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44because without you guys, we wouldn't be here neither.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46It's really good.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Later, two other survivors are reunited with some of the team
0:13:50 > 0:13:51who saved their lives.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57The rescuer, my medical care and my rehabilitation.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58I am so grateful to you.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- You're very welcome.- Thank you.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10When life takes a turn for the worst,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14it can be the remarkable kindness of strangers that's most surprising.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Two years ago,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20veterinary student Carla Johnson fell in love with Winnie -
0:14:20 > 0:14:24an abandoned Spanish greyhound she got from a dog charity in Madrid.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27The pair have been inseparable ever since.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30She goes on the Tube, she has to take a seat otherwise she whines,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33she's a lazy girl, and she goes to work with me.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37I can't imagine my life without here. She's me little buddy.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41But in December 2012, as she drove home with
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Winnie along the M5, Carla's life changed dramatically.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I just heard an odd noise and the next thing I know,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51I saw this image of a van.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Hi, I think there's been an accident on the M5.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01I just heard this biggest crash and screech.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03It literally happened, like, ten seconds ago.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07A van travelling in the opposite direction crashed through
0:15:07 > 0:15:11the central reservation and slammed into the side of Carla's car.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12Really fast.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16I think I didn't even have a chance to actually put my foot on the brake.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18It was that fast.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21The impact sent her car careering across the motorway.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Despite being strapped in, Winnie was thrown from the car.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28We got a phone call from our helimed dispatch team
0:15:28 > 0:15:31to say that there was a road traffic collision on the M5
0:15:31 > 0:15:33and there were reports of a person trapped.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36We came up the aircraft, got started,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39got everything ready to take off.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Both Carla's legs were broken.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Three ribs had punctured her left lung
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and her spleen had been ruptured.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49She was losing a lot of blood. She needed help fast.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I opened my eyes, and I can see the airbag, all full of blood,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56and my hand next to the airbag.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I could see the bones in my hand, I couldn't see anything else.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01And then I just passed out.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05The air ambulance was on the scene within ten minutes.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10From above, we could see that it was what looked like carnage.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14The damage to the car gave us a real high index of suspicion
0:16:14 > 0:16:18that she had some significant internal injuries as well.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19Very lucky lady to still be alive.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Close to death and drifting in and out of consciousness,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Carla kept asking about Winnie.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30The one thing that pervades the whole memory of the job,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32it was her dog...was the thing that she was concerned about.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Not herself. Her dog.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Just as we were closing the doors, a police constable,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39one of the dog-handlers locally,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41had managed to get hold of the dog, Winnie,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and was just coincidently walking past the aircraft to his vehicle
0:16:45 > 0:16:47and he was able to lift her up.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Carla saw the dog, whole picture settled. She was happy then.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Reassured that her best friend Winnie was safe,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Carla was flown to hospital in Plymouth.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01The last I saw her, she was going into the emergency department,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05she was in a bad way, some life-threatening injuries.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09I should be dead.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11If you compare it with any other crash like that,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14I should be dead and I'm not.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17There's now words to describe how grateful you can be to
0:17:17 > 0:17:19a person who has saved your life.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21When they pulled her from the wreckage,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25they were strangers she could barely see through the pain and trauma.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Today, just six months on from the accident that almost killed her,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Carla has a chance to thank the men who saved her life.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36You were talking to me in the helicopter.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- Yeah, it was quite noisy but we would have been.- I remember.
0:17:39 > 0:17:45It's really nice to get a face to those nice words, soothing words.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47It felt really good. Thank you very much for everything.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50You really saved my life. So thanks a million.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56And Carla's not alone in wanting to thank Devon Air Ambulance.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Winnie the dog and Carla's mum Maggie have come to meet
0:17:59 > 0:18:00the men who saved her.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03Winnie, oh!
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Hello!
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Don't you recognise them? They saved Mama.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14You can smell my dogs. You can, can't you? You can smell my dogs.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Thank you all very much.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19It's just absolutely been incredible the way
0:18:19 > 0:18:21you've save my daughter's life.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Really amazing. It's just fantastic.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26Thank you very much.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30It's great to see Carla today. It's quite inspiring.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Sorry, I'm breaking up here.
0:18:35 > 0:18:41It's... It makes you think what you actually do is important.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47We do the job, we take care of people, we do save people's lives.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51We don't do it for thanks.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56But to be thanked is a phenomenal gesture.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58It was so nice to see you guys
0:18:58 > 0:19:01and get to know the people who saved my life.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03It was fantastic.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Well worth driving again.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Yes, Winnie.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24In May 1984, a small Lancashire village became national news when
0:19:24 > 0:19:28an explosion killed 16 locals and left many more seriously injured.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Part of the hillside had been ripped away by the blast,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38exposing what was left of the underground control room.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42The water authority had invited 36 local residents to the valve house,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45to assure them it wasn't causing flooding.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48But when the party entered the underground chamber,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52they had no idea it was filled with a highly explosive gas.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Emergency services were baffled when they received the call.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58It was in a valley in the middle of nowhere,
0:19:58 > 0:20:03no industry, maybe a few farms. We thought, "An explosion?!"
0:20:03 > 0:20:05When they said, "Abbeystead, explosion."
0:20:05 > 0:20:08What is there to explode in Abbeystead?
0:20:08 > 0:20:11We were thinking to ourselves, "This is a hoax, it can't be right."
0:20:11 > 0:20:13But such thoughts quickly evaporated
0:20:13 > 0:20:16when they arrived at a scene of utter carnage.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19The rescue team worked through the night in the hope that
0:20:19 > 0:20:22some of those trapped in the debris of the shattered pumping station
0:20:22 > 0:20:25might still be pulled out alive.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28As ambulances ferried the injured to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32hospital staff like senior nurse Stuart Westbrook were rushed
0:20:32 > 0:20:33out to help at the disaster site.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36You knew you were going to an explosion,
0:20:36 > 0:20:41but it didn't really strike home the sheer force of the explosion.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46Blood stained the diagrams and charts used in the demonstration.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51In the darkness, a crane lifted huge concrete beams from the wreckage.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54You work in A&E, you think you're beyond surprises,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57because you've probably seen it all, but one hell of a night.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01One beam came down onto my left leg, banging me on the head
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and breaking my nose, and split this leg in half.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08The second beam came down, hit me again on the head
0:21:08 > 0:21:13and broke this leg into five pieces and broke all my ribs.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Against all the odds, Colin survived,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19but would remain in hospital for four months.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22It would be another two years before he could return to work.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Pat Kaylor suffered burns to 50% of her body.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It was four weeks before she could leave hospital.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30All my hair had been burnt off.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Well, it was singed into a great black lump on top of my head,
0:21:33 > 0:21:34which they cut off.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37The most horrible thing that's ever happened to me,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40but I'm just glad that I'm alive.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42An investigation discovered there had been a build-up
0:21:42 > 0:21:45of the explosive gas methane in the pipes.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50Water board employees unwittingly pumped the gas into the valve house during the tour.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55No-one knows what caused it to ignite, but for those who survived,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59the heroes who saved them are always in their thoughts.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02You do see sometimes in hospitals thank you letters
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and cards posted on the notice board, and you think,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07"Oh, I'm going to do that," but you don't.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Physiotherapist Steve Wildon took charge of Colin's long
0:22:12 > 0:22:14and sometimes painful recovery.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16I always used to stay at the foot of his bed,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20because he used to try and sit up and punch me in the face.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I used to say to him, "You will thank me for this one day."
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Survivors Pat and Colin have never had the chance to thank
0:22:27 > 0:22:29the emergency workers who saved them.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Today, they finally have that opportunity.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Were you the gentleman that was inside the building...?
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- I was sat on a pile of rubble. - Yeah, cos I was talking to a gentleman and you said,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43- "I can't move because I think my legs are broken."- They were.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47- I was looking at my feet the other way up.- Yeah.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50I do remember that journey. In particular,
0:22:50 > 0:22:55- your crew member would not let me go to sleep.- Me.- You?- Me.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- Well, then, it was you that kept me alive.- Yeah.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01- You would not let me go to sleep. - If you started to go to sleep, then we might have lost you,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04because your body might have decided to shut down.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08I don't know if you remember this. This is how I looked when you met me.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13I was facing inside and I saw the flame bloom out of the doorway
0:23:13 > 0:23:17and then it blew me off my feet and blew me out of the building.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19They said our heads swelled up.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It did, because I only started to see who you were as a person
0:23:22 > 0:23:25three or four weeks in.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- Do you remember punching me?- Often.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Mostly at night, in my dreams.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34But you always had a really positive attitude.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Well, you were very good at it. You were very good at what you did.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- That's kind of you.- I was glad to have been in your hands.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42What can I say? What do I owe you?
0:23:42 > 0:23:48I owe you my life, and you, and you for getting me mobile. Bless you.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52You care and that's why you do your job so well,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and we're very grateful to you for it.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58At the site of the disaster,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02there's a memorial to the 16 who tragically lost their lives.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04You'll always remember it
0:24:04 > 0:24:07and you'll always remember those poor people who didn't make it.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Whilst any survivors live, they will never be forgotten.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27In September 1970, Palestine terrorists shocked the world
0:24:27 > 0:24:28when they hijacked three planes
0:24:28 > 0:24:33and forced the pilots to land at a remote desert airstrip in Jordan.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35They threatened to blow up the planes and passengers
0:24:35 > 0:24:40if European governments failed to release Palestinian prisoners.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44This was the only British plane ever to be hijacked and it was
0:24:44 > 0:24:46full of children returning to boarding schools in the UK.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Susan, Sarah, Malia and Diana were all young girls on board.
0:24:52 > 0:24:5343 years later,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56they're sharing memories of their three days in the desert.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58There I am. Look.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02That's me looking not well.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07- How do you feel?- Just... I'm thirsty.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11Armed with guns and grenades, the terrorists overpowered
0:25:11 > 0:25:15the crew in the cockpit and took control of the plane at 37,000 feet.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19For 22 year-old Frances Duck, a stewardess in first class,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21it was the beginning of a nightmare.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23I remember, at one point, it was announced that we
0:25:23 > 0:25:27had 14 hours before we were due to be liquidated.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Chief steward John Cresta bravely
0:25:29 > 0:25:32took on the role of talking to the hijackers.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37I was informed by one of the passengers that they were
0:25:37 > 0:25:40loading some dynamite onto the aircraft, into the undercarriage.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43I spoke to the leader at the time.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46They were in fact packing some dynamite on, which they
0:25:46 > 0:25:49could use if anybody created a problem.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52One of them said to me, "You, come with me."
0:25:52 > 0:25:56He singled me out and he had a gun on his shoulder
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and lead me to the rear of the aircraft.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01I just assumed I was about to be executed.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03The sense of vulnerability has never gone.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05It's there all the time.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07After three desperate days,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10the British Government gave in to the terrorists' demands.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12John and Frances were released
0:26:12 > 0:26:14and flown to London along with the school children.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16It has been 43 years
0:26:16 > 0:26:19since they lived through the terror of those three days.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Now John and Frances are about to meet again.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27- Frances?- I still recognise you. - Nice to see you.- Good to see you.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31- It's been a long time.- It has. 43 years. I can't believe it.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- We never had an opportunity to talk. - No, we didn't, did we?
0:26:35 > 0:26:37But you were marvellous.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42I don't know how you did it. You always seemed in charge and calm...
0:26:42 > 0:26:47- That was the aim. I hope it worked.- It did.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52John and Frances found themselves caring for the school children,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57whose high spirits defused some of the tension on the hijacked plane.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00You children all helped to really lighten the atmosphere.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02You really did.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I always remember that it was quite a tense atmosphere,
0:27:05 > 0:27:11- and then you started singing a Beatles song...- Yellow Submarine.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14But "we all lived in a blue and white machine".
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Actually, I think in lots of ways,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21it has had a huge impact only my life.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I don't think about it every single day,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28but it still is such a life-changing experience
0:27:28 > 0:27:30that we went through together,
0:27:30 > 0:27:35and after all this time, we're still here to talk about it together.
0:27:36 > 0:27:43Incredibly, all 115 passengers survived the terrifying ordeal on BOAC flight 775.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46And they did it in a very British fashion.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48There were bombs on the flight deck
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and yet we were sitting around
0:27:50 > 0:27:53talking as though we were having afternoon tea.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55And in the 43 years since,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58no other British plane has been successfully hijacked.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Next time, survivors of one of the country's worst mining disasters
0:28:13 > 0:28:17share memories of escape and the mates who didn't make it.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18I walked up road with him.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23They didn't come back.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28And making history on the world's first ever supersonic passenger flight.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32All flyers wanted to know what it would feel like to fly supersonic.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34I felt a thrill.