Oswald Laurence isn’t a name you’ve heard, but his voice is possibly one you’re at least familiar with. One source says he was born in Germany in 1929 and died in London 78 years later. His chosen profession was acting, but, other than a handful of credits on British TV in the 1950s and 60s and some London theater work, Oswald didn’t have much success in that realm. So, mid-life, Oswald turned to the travel industry and became a tour guide for a cruise company.
It was while working for the travel company in Morocco that he met the love of his life, Dr. Margaret McCollom, a general practitioner on vacation there. And the two became inseparable. For 15 years, the couple lived together in a north London suburb until Oswald died in 2007. Margaret missed her love terribly; she had never met another person who loved life as much as Oswald did, even if he didn’t have great success as an actor.
And, in an attempt to be closer to her departed loved one, Margaret began visiting the Embankment Tube stop not too far from their home. Now, for those who don’t know, the Tube is London’s subway system. The different subway lines and their stops, such as the one at Embankment, saw tens of thousands of riders every day. Now, you might think it strange that Margaret would seek out a Tube stop to try to feel close to the man she missed terribly, but hear me out.
You see, back in 1969, the London transport system, the group that manages the subway system, had hired Oswald to make a recorded announcement. The announcement was a warning to people getting on and off the subway trains, a warning to be aware of the gap between the train doors and the station platform. Thus, Oswald’s recorded message said, in perfect British English, “Mind the gap.” And Margaret would sit at the Embankment tube station in 2007, almost 40 years after Oswald recorded the message, and hear hear beloved husband’s voice again and again as the train doors opened and closed. It made her feel less lonely, and it brought Oswald back to her, even for a few minutes.
But then, one day in November of that year, Margaret went to the station, and she didn’t hear Oswald’s voice. It was a new voice, a woman’s voice, now issuing the warning to the travelers. Margaret was crushed. She quickly contacted the Transport for London administrators and asked what had happened to Oswald’s voice. They told her that the system had been upgraded to a newer digital system, and that Oswald’s old analog recording was discarded. Well, as you can imagine, not being able to hear Oswald’s voice, that opened all the old wounds of his death for his widow. She no longer could sit at Embankment and hear her beloved Oswald.
That’s when something resembling a Christmas miracle happened. Hearing about her situation, a tech with the subway system managed to make a CD recording of Oswald’s voice. And, when an administrator higher up in the company also got wind of Margaret’s story, he resolved to see what he could do.
Just before Christmas of that year, Margaret had to travel by tube. She went to Embankment and waited for the train. As the doors opened, and she prepared to enter the subway car, Oswald’s voice once again boomed, “Mind the gap.” Margaret couldn’t believe her ears. She was overjoyed. It turns out that the Transport for London’s administrators had made the choice to bring back Oswald’s voice to the Embankment tube stop especially for Margaret. It was a wonderful Christmas gift, and Margaret could once again hear the tones of her beloved Oswald as he made the announcement over and over by digital recording.
Merry Christmas, one and all, and may there be peace on Earth.
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