• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Woman used to visit same tube station everyday for 20 years to hear late husband's voice

Home> News> UK News

Updated 07:38 26 Sep 2023 GMT+1Published 20:54 25 Sep 2023 GMT+1

Woman used to visit same tube station everyday for 20 years to hear late husband's voice

The emotional reason is sure to tug on your heart strings

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle

Whether you're a Londoner or not - you've most definitely got the phrase 'mind the gap' seared into your nogin.

Regular commuters and tourists passing by the capital city will be all-too familiar with it but, what many public transport users may not know is that the voice system sounds a tad different at Embankment Station.

Advert

And there's a good reason for that, given that one woman visited that particular station everyday for 20 years, all in hopes to feel closer to her late husband.

Whether you live in the UK capital or not, this emotional story is bound to get those tear ducts working overtime.

One woman went to the same underground tube station everyday for 20 years to grieve her late husband.
Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

A few years back, historian and journalist John Bull decided to shine light on the story in a series of tweets, in which he described it as a tale of 'London, trains, love and loss, and how small acts of kindness matter'.

It all started just before Christmas 2012, when staff at Embankment tube station were approached by a woman who was 'very upset'.

Advert

John wrote, "She kept asking them where the voice had gone. They weren't sure what she meant," but she explained, "The man who says 'Mind the Gap'."

The staff said not to worry – the announcement voice had simply been updated with a 'new digital system' to offer different voices and 'more variety'.

However, still appearing upset, she said that the voice held a special significance to her – it belonged to her late husband.

"The woman, a GP called Dr Margaret McCollum, explained that her husband was an actor called Oswald Laurence," wrote John.

"Oswald had never become famous, but he HAD been the chap who had recorded all the Northern Line announcements back in the seventies.

Advert

"And Oswald had died in 2007."

Margaret revealed the heartbreaking reason why she visited Embankment Station every day for two decades.
BBC

The loss had 'left a hole in Margaret's heart', but one thing that brought her comfort was getting to hear him ever day on her way to work.

John continued: "Sometimes, when it hurt too much, she explained, she'd just sit on the platform at Embankment and listen to the announcements for a bit longer."

This had been her routine for five years, and though it didn't bring him back, it kept his memory alive.

Advert

I'm not crying, you're crying.

Although the staff said they couldn't do anything to change it back, they apologised and promised to see if they could find a copy of the recording for Margaret.

But the story doesn't end there.

As explained by the historian: "In the New Year, Margaret McCollum sat on Embankment Station, on her way to work.

"And over the speakers she heard a familiar voice. The voice of a man she had loved so much, and never thought she'd hear again.

Advert

"'Mind the Gap' said Oswald Laurence."


Turns out, a lot of people at Embankment and within the London Underground and TFL services had lost loved ones and wished they could hear them again.

They realised that with these unique circumstances they could make it happen for Margaret.

And so, after wading through archives and restoring old tapes while others worked through the code of the announcement system, they were able to make Oswald talk again.

As well as the restoration in 2013, Margaret was given a copy of the recording that she could listen and take comfort from it whenever she needed.

Speaking to the BBC at the time, London Underground director Nigel Holness said: "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.

"We were very touched by her story, so staff tracked down the recording and not only were they able to get a copy of the announcement on CD for her to keep but are also working to restore the announcement at Embankment station."

Though the story is nearly 11-years-old, much like Oswald's voice, it is kept alive by those who are moved by its emotional significance.

Featured Image Credit: BBC/Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

Topics: London, UK News, Viral, Sex and Relationships

Rhiannon Ingle
Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Senior Journalist at Tyla, specialising in TV, film, travel, and culture. A graduate of the University of Manchester with a degree in English Literature, she honed her editorial skills as the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the UK’s largest student newspaper. With a keen eye for storytelling, Rhiannon brings fresh perspectives to her writing, blending critical insight with an engaging style. Her work captures the intersection of entertainment and real-world experiences.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

13 hours ago
14 hours ago
15 hours ago
  • 13 hours ago

    Psychotherapist says there are 10 key signs that someone in your life is a narcissist

    Psychotherapist Alishia Portas has explained traits that narcissists tend to exhibit

    News
  • 14 hours ago

    Scientists warn that thousands of mini black holes could be hidden in your house

    Scientists believe that black holes could be moving through our bodies, and we don't even notice

    News
  • 15 hours ago

    Incredible find was made at house of ‘stubborn’ family who rejected £25 million to sell property

    The Zammit family have turned down multiple million-dollar offers to stay put

    News
  • 15 hours ago

    ‘Disc-shaped UFO’ captured by US military flying through sky in never-before-seen footage

    'Ufologist celebrity' Jeremy Corbell leaked the video and said it has 'implications that are huge'

    News
  • Man texted random number 'hello' more than 27 years ago and ended up meeting his wife
  • Jermaine Jenas' wife announces split after 16 years together months after 'inappropriate messages' scandal
  • Groom bursts into tears as he listens to 3-year-old daughter’s emotional recorded message moments before wedding vows
  • Woman who drank energy drink for breakfast everyday for 15 years shares horrific organ damage that made her quit