I was stranded on a tiny Canadian island after my plane was forced to land during 9/11 terror attacks – but I met the love of my life there
AMID the mayhem of the 9/11 terror attacks it quickly became clear all planes still up in the air could be a threat to thousands of lives.
Fearing there could be bombs or more hijackers on board, United States airspace was closed and the pilots were told they would be shot down if they flew in.
Neighbouring Canada was faced with a stark choice - let them land or let them die.
But where can you send 38 Atlantic range jets carrying nearly 6,500 souls at a minute's notice during the worst ever peace time atrocity?
The answer is the town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada, which once had the largest airport in the world.
You might have expected the 10,000 residents to be worried about the arrival of planes considered to be potential weapons.
Quite the opposite.
Total strangers became shoulders to cry on, friends and, in the case of British oil executive Nick Marson and Texan Diane Kirschke, lovers.
Remarkable as the story is, it’s not obvious hit Broadway and West End musical material.
But a theatre show called Come From Away about the islander’s spirit of generosity has just been nominated for nine Olivier Awards and a movie is in the pipeline.
Two of its biggest fans are Nick and Diane, who got married in 2002 and have seen it 95 times.
Nick, 70, originally from the Cotswolds, told The Sun: “If it hadn’t been for the generosity of the Newfoundlanders, taking us out, entertaining us, Diane and I would never have met."
Their romance is one of a dozen central personal tales recounted in Come From Away.
'The flight attendant was shaking'
When they boarded the jet from London to Texas on September 11 2001 Nick was on a business trip and Diane had just visited her son in England.
The two divorcees weren’t even sat next to each other when their plane was diverted to Gander and weren’t told that two planes had destroyed New York’s Twin Towers after being hijacked.
Nick, who was 52 at the time, recalled: “I thought the flight attendant wasn’t very suited to the job, because she was shaking and white as a sheet.
"But, of course, she knew the truth. She was trying to figure out if there were any suspicious characters on board.”
After 30 hours waiting in the jet on the tarmac the pair were bused to a temporary shelter in the tiny town of Gambo where they got talking.
Nick said: “We didn’t know what was going to happen, it could have been the start of World War Three for all we knew.”
They grew so close that locals thought they were a married couple, but Diane only realised Nick had feelings for her when the local geology teacher took them up to see a beauty spot and he insisted she stay in the scenic picture.
'We canoodled on the plane'
On the bus journey back to their plane after five days on the North Atlantic island the couple shared their first kiss.
Nick said: “Diane looked upset and I went to kiss her on the forehead, and she took command. We ended up canoodling so much on the plane, when the air hostess came round with hot towels she said to us ‘cold towel?’”
Talking about the musical, Diane, 77, added: “Watching the kiss up on stage is like renewing our vows. It takes us back to a special time.”
The title for the show is taken from the name Newfoundlanders give to visitors - Come From Away.
Before jets had the capacity to cross the Atlantic without refuelling they would stop off in Gander, so it had an airstrip big enough to cope with a sudden deluge of Jumbos.
It was a part of Operation Yellow Ribbon where nearly 200 jets were landed in 17 Canadian airports.
The then Mayor of Gander Claude Elliott was faced with the mammoth task of feeding and housing 6,500 guests many of whom didn’t speak English.
Claude, who has since retired from his post, said: “What we consider the most simple thing in life is to help people.”
And they certainly did that.
Nicotine gum was brought for smokers stuck on the planes, when locals were asked to donate toilet roll a year’s supply was delivered in a day and a massive birthday party was organised for 350 Make-A-Wish Foundation children who had been due to celebrate their own special day in Disneyland.
For security reasons the passengers were not allowed to take their bags from the hold, so locals donated blankets, clothes, sanitary towels, nappies and tooth brushes.
In order to keep the food supplies cool the local hockey rink was transformed into a massive refrigerator and BBQs were loaned for grill night.
No matter how many times, the guests offered to pay for food or drink they were always refused.
So after leaving the passengers decided to make a donation of £45,000 to the town.
Survivors' guilt
Even when retired oil executive Nick and retired retail buyer Diane came back for their honeymoon in 2002 a lavish banquet was put on in their honour.
It was then that the press learned of their story - but the couple refused to speak to the journalists camped outside their door.
Nick explained: “It took us so long to tell our story because we had survivors' guilt.
"Over three thousand people died in the Towers, so over 3,000 families were devastated by what happened.
“What happened to us? We found someone who made us so happy. We weren’t comfortable with that. Why us?”
After Come From Away made its stage debut in 2013 the couple slowly started to realise relatives of people affected by 9/11 had taken to this story of human kindness.
Among them is Hannah O’Rourke, a passenger featured in the musical whose firefighter son Kevin died saving lives in the World Trade Centre.
In the show we see her being comforted by a local as she waits to learn of his fate.
Nick, who has become friends with Hannah, said: “At one of the openings last year I was sat next to the daughter of Kevin O’Rourke, and when it got to the very sad part of the play I reached out to her and she held on to my hand until the end of the play.”
Come From Away is now on at the Phoenix Theatre in London.