LSE Diary, Wednesday, 10th. March 1976

As the day started it became clear to me that something was not quite right, but I had no idea at the time of how events would play out – and how they would affect me to this day.

First thing in the morning I could hear my flatmate engaged in a heated discussion with our landlady. I did not know what the argument was about, other than it was likely to relate to our accommodation in some way.

Since moving to London in 1975 I had lived in Halls of Residence, specifically Carr-Saunders in Fitzrovia, which was then, and remains now, one of my favourite places in London. You may not know of Fitzrovia, but it is essentially the area on the northern side of Oxford Street and Soho, bounded on the east by Tottenham Court Road.