Who is Inspector Sands
Sep. 12th, 2011 04:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dormouse1953As I was descending into the underground station at Waterloo on Saturday afternoon, I heard and announcement: "Will Inspector Sands contact the control room". Shortly after, before I even got in sight of the ticket barrier, there was a further announcement: "Due to an emergency, will all passengers please leave the station."
I did wonder if the first announcement was a code. I recall sometime in the mid-seventies going to a concert of music and humour at the South Bank centre in London which included the author and humorist Paul Jennings. He told how according to the notices in the back-stage parts of the centre, it was forbidden to use the word "fire" over the tannoy, to avoid a panic. The name "Mr Sands" was to be used instead.
He wondered if they had thought this through. "Mr Sands is in the ladies toilet" would cause a snigger. But what about having to mention the sand in the Mr Sands bucket. And would we be getting announcements along the lines of, "In tonight's concert, we will no longer be performing Music for the Royal Mr Sands works by Handel but will instead perform the Ritual Mr Sands dance by Manuel de Mr Sands."
On Saturday, it seemed to be only the underground station affected. Things carried on normally on the main station concourse. I left the station and walked across the river to Embankment and got a Bakerloo train there. I heard no announcements that Waterloo was still closed.
I did wonder if the first announcement was a code. I recall sometime in the mid-seventies going to a concert of music and humour at the South Bank centre in London which included the author and humorist Paul Jennings. He told how according to the notices in the back-stage parts of the centre, it was forbidden to use the word "fire" over the tannoy, to avoid a panic. The name "Mr Sands" was to be used instead.
He wondered if they had thought this through. "Mr Sands is in the ladies toilet" would cause a snigger. But what about having to mention the sand in the Mr Sands bucket. And would we be getting announcements along the lines of, "In tonight's concert, we will no longer be performing Music for the Royal Mr Sands works by Handel but will instead perform the Ritual Mr Sands dance by Manuel de Mr Sands."
On Saturday, it seemed to be only the underground station affected. Things carried on normally on the main station concourse. I left the station and walked across the river to Embankment and got a Bakerloo train there. I heard no announcements that Waterloo was still closed.
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Date: 2011-09-12 10:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 10:31 am (UTC)Still don't know what happened at Waterloo on Saturday, though.