Britain suffered more deaths in the September 11 attacks than any nation outside the US, but British survivors and relatives say they feel isolated from others who can understand their grief. As the first anniversary of the attack nears, those Britons directly affected say their private tragedy has become public property but, unlike New Yorkers, it is hard to find others who can share their experience. ‘‘I still can’t bring myself to talk about what we said during that last conversation. My husband’s death has become such public property that I am desperate to keep something for myself,’’ Elizabeth Turner told the Daily Mail newspaper. Simon and Elizabeth Turner were awaiting the birth of their first child when Simon, 39, was killed while attending a conference at the WTC. Turner, who gave birth to a son, William, 10 months ago, said the circumstances of her husband’s death were a double-edged sword. ‘‘On one hand I have the comfort that, hopefully his death actually meant something to the world. But every time I switch on the TV or open a newspaper, I also see his death being replayed over and over.’’ Britain lost 67 citizens in the attack, the biggest number of non-Americans killed. ‘‘Whenever I talk about it, I feel as if I am about five minutes away from bursting into tears,’’ London-based Duncan Martin, 34, a risk manager working in New York at the time, said. ‘‘People here can’t quite get it while New York people can get it. It is difficult to explain what it was like, seeing it, smelling it.in real life.’’ Martin was on his way to a meeting close to the WTC when the towers collapsed. Amid choking debris and smoke, he took refuge in a nearby building. Some of his strongest memories are of the silence that descended on the area and the white dust covering everything. (LATWP)
