11 September

It's one of those dates that has little other meaning: September 11, 2001.

It will be remembered forever for the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and at the Pentagon.

And it's one of those dates that you will always remember where you were.

I was working in the IT department of an insurance company in Farnborough, Hampshire. By UK time the attacks started at about 1.45pm. A colleague, Nigel, had received a phone call from his wife, and he suddenly said to the open-plan office: "A plane has just crashed into one of the Twin Towers in New York." My first reaction was, how could anyone be so foolish?

Although the internet was on everyone's PC it was not yet a time when people had a browser open by default. We all clicked frantically to look at news sites, but most were already clogged up and access was difficult and slow.

Other people made phone calls home, and soon the news came through: "Another plane has crashed into the other tower." Oh, my lord! "They suspect terrorists." The frightening truth began to hit home.

The afternoon unfolded in one unbelievable event after another as news came through of the Pentagon attack, the collasping towers and the failed attack of flight United 93. It was too much to take in.

The next day was my birthday and I had the day off. It was the bleakest birthday ever as I sat in front of Sky News nearly all day watching with morbid fascination as the channel repeatedly showed pictures of the crashes, and related incidents.

I still watch programmes about 9/11 now. It's still hard to take, even after eight years.