Infection
By Day Five, the epidemic was raging out of control across East Anglia and parts of the Home Counties. Panic was rife and people were packing up their belongings and fleeing for their lives despite official pleas for the public to remain calm.
By the early hours of 10th May, Milton Keynes was the scene of disorganised evacuations as Thames Valley Police did what they could alongside the local council to open up transportation routes and bring in enough buses to move everyone northwards into the relative safety of Northampton, where the Red Cross had set up shelters for the thousands of people forced to run from their homes. Despite a lack of clear directon and constant delays, the evacuation was a success and the population of Milton Keynes was largely saved. BBC news covered the evacuation for several hours showing the massive traffic jams on the M1 as vehicles moved at a snails pace. Cars and vans were restricted to the right hand lane whilst government run buses had free use of middle lane as the one remaining lane was kept clear for military and emergency vehicles.
Hurried evacuations were also occuring all over Essex, Befordshire and Hertfordshire as the infection continued to spread unchecked in some areas where the police had been forced to pull out of, leaving terrified residents to their fate. Every person left behind would be another potential enemy down the road should they fall victim to the virus. This was a fact not lost on government officals. There was even some talk of bombing cut off, unevacuated urban areas in the event the population could not be moved to safety to prevent them contracting the infection should the infected breach the areas defences. Such talk was muted on the order of the Prime Minister who would "not go down in history as the PM who blew up his own people." The "sacrafice the few to save the many" argument fell on deaf ears.
Major roads were jammed as people tried to flee the ever expanding carnage, forcing the government to commandeer public transportation due to the massive numbers requiring evacuation. Over a million people were to be evacuated northwards whilst several hundred thousand others were to be evacuated south into London, already bursting with refugees and stranded commuters from Cambridge. In densly populated Hertfordshire, there was confusion and fear as all public transport was shut down and taken over by government to evacuate the area. The state of emergency declaration gave local authorities free reign to seize private property, including vehicles, in the name of national security, so when company bosses complained over the draconian measures they were told to shut up and help or be arrested. Needless to say most complied.
The first cases of infection were reported in Luton and Stavenge on the morning of 10th May, whilst further east the army garrison at Colchester and the town of Ipswich were under serious threat. Senior officials met in a panicked COBRA session the same day with high ranking military officers to coordinate the defence of London. There were more than a few raised voices at the table that afternoon as ministers argued their point on how best to deal with the situation, some calling for quarantine and containment, others wanted mass evacuation and rescue operations, and the the Army and Air Force chiefs wanted to throw everything the British Military had at the infected irrelevant of what the arguing ministers thought about potential political backlash against such a thing. What was agreed, however, was that Luton was too strategically important to lose due to its major airport, and that it must be defended at all costs. Initially 10,000 troops were deployed north of London, using the M25 as their main defensive line from where they intended to halt the spread of infection. They were to be joined by another twelve thousand reservists by the end of the week.
The British Army launched its offensive to save Luton during the night of 10th May, deploying soldiers equiped with CBRN suits riding in Warrior IFV's backed up by Challenger 2 tanks with Apache helicopter support above whilst the Royal Air Force deployed Torando strike aircraft to contact airstrikes on heavy concentrations of infected. The result was a blood bath, as due to a breakdown in communications, the Ministry of Defence was unaware that thousands of civilians were still trapped in the town, unable to escape due to blocked roads and infected prowling outside their homes, resulting in thousands of innocent men, women and children dying under a hail of cannon, rocket and machinegun fire as well as air strikes. The video footage smuggled out by one brave ITN camerawoman of a severed arm holding a doll would haunt the nation and cause an outcry.
Thousands of infected also died, but many thousands more charged towards the soldiers, overwhelming their main forward operating base at Luton airport and forcing the surviving troops into a chaotic retreat towards the M25 defensive line where blockades and checkpoints were still being set up. All civilian traffic had been barred from the M25 and directed elsewhere. For all intents and purposes, the M25 Motorway (North) was now a military installation.
News reports of the Luton Massacre and the military's rout soon broke, and the sense of dread in the country only worsened, with fringe religious groups calling it a sign of the coming apocalypse. Rumours of the horrendous military casualties during engagements with the infected in Luton and nearby towns spread amongst soldiers, many taking the decision to desert their posts and go home to their families. Several deserters were rounded up, given a field court martial and executed by firing squad to be made an example of, but for the most part deserters got away unpunished, as the army did not have resources to spare looking for them.
Colchester Garrison was overrun after a bloody battle several hours after the Luton debacle, and with that, an undefended Ipswich was stormed by the infected shortly thereafter. The token police force left behind could offer little resistance and fled right along with everybody else. Places such as Hemel Hempstead, Pottersbar and St Albans became fortresses overnight as armed soldiers set up checkpoints and defences in preperatios for preventing any further spread of the infection towards London.
It became clear to senior officials in the Blair administration that the constant video footage and news reports of refugees fleeing, of bloodied bodies and funeral pyres being tended by soldiers wearing biohazard suits was killing the nations' morale. Citing the State of Emergency, the Home Secretary brought up the idea of a "temporary state take over of the media" until the crisis passed. Prime Minister Blair agreed, albeit reluctantly, and within 24 hours all British television and radio stations of significance had been brought under control of the Home Office with support of the MoD, who deployed soldiers and "advisers" to make sure editors adhered to the new "its all going to be fine" guidelines. Nodody was happy with this, and plenty editors and journalists resigned in protest, but they were replaced. And so it came to pass that on 11 May 2002, Freedom of the Press died in the United Kingdom. The rest of the nation wouldnt be far behind it.
Blair made a speech at 4:40 PM 11 May in front of 10 Downing Street, declaring that the government and the armed forces would gain control over the situation, and urged the public to remain calm and obey the authorites. In an apparant attempt at emulating Winston Churchill he said "We shall never surrender. We will stand united, and will fight this scourge until it is wiped from our nation. We will rebuild the broken homes, we will resettle the shattered neighbourhoods, and pray for those that died."
It was not Tony Blairs Winston Churchill moment and there was no Dunkirk Spirit. The only resemblance to Dunkirk in fact was the British refugees crossing the channel TO France and not the other way around.
Worse was too come for the British people. Much worse.
By the early hours of 10th May, Milton Keynes was the scene of disorganised evacuations as Thames Valley Police did what they could alongside the local council to open up transportation routes and bring in enough buses to move everyone northwards into the relative safety of Northampton, where the Red Cross had set up shelters for the thousands of people forced to run from their homes. Despite a lack of clear directon and constant delays, the evacuation was a success and the population of Milton Keynes was largely saved. BBC news covered the evacuation for several hours showing the massive traffic jams on the M1 as vehicles moved at a snails pace. Cars and vans were restricted to the right hand lane whilst government run buses had free use of middle lane as the one remaining lane was kept clear for military and emergency vehicles.
Hurried evacuations were also occuring all over Essex, Befordshire and Hertfordshire as the infection continued to spread unchecked in some areas where the police had been forced to pull out of, leaving terrified residents to their fate. Every person left behind would be another potential enemy down the road should they fall victim to the virus. This was a fact not lost on government officals. There was even some talk of bombing cut off, unevacuated urban areas in the event the population could not be moved to safety to prevent them contracting the infection should the infected breach the areas defences. Such talk was muted on the order of the Prime Minister who would "not go down in history as the PM who blew up his own people." The "sacrafice the few to save the many" argument fell on deaf ears.
Major roads were jammed as people tried to flee the ever expanding carnage, forcing the government to commandeer public transportation due to the massive numbers requiring evacuation. Over a million people were to be evacuated northwards whilst several hundred thousand others were to be evacuated south into London, already bursting with refugees and stranded commuters from Cambridge. In densly populated Hertfordshire, there was confusion and fear as all public transport was shut down and taken over by government to evacuate the area. The state of emergency declaration gave local authorities free reign to seize private property, including vehicles, in the name of national security, so when company bosses complained over the draconian measures they were told to shut up and help or be arrested. Needless to say most complied.
The first cases of infection were reported in Luton and Stavenge on the morning of 10th May, whilst further east the army garrison at Colchester and the town of Ipswich were under serious threat. Senior officials met in a panicked COBRA session the same day with high ranking military officers to coordinate the defence of London. There were more than a few raised voices at the table that afternoon as ministers argued their point on how best to deal with the situation, some calling for quarantine and containment, others wanted mass evacuation and rescue operations, and the the Army and Air Force chiefs wanted to throw everything the British Military had at the infected irrelevant of what the arguing ministers thought about potential political backlash against such a thing. What was agreed, however, was that Luton was too strategically important to lose due to its major airport, and that it must be defended at all costs. Initially 10,000 troops were deployed north of London, using the M25 as their main defensive line from where they intended to halt the spread of infection. They were to be joined by another twelve thousand reservists by the end of the week.
The British Army launched its offensive to save Luton during the night of 10th May, deploying soldiers equiped with CBRN suits riding in Warrior IFV's backed up by Challenger 2 tanks with Apache helicopter support above whilst the Royal Air Force deployed Torando strike aircraft to contact airstrikes on heavy concentrations of infected. The result was a blood bath, as due to a breakdown in communications, the Ministry of Defence was unaware that thousands of civilians were still trapped in the town, unable to escape due to blocked roads and infected prowling outside their homes, resulting in thousands of innocent men, women and children dying under a hail of cannon, rocket and machinegun fire as well as air strikes. The video footage smuggled out by one brave ITN camerawoman of a severed arm holding a doll would haunt the nation and cause an outcry.
Thousands of infected also died, but many thousands more charged towards the soldiers, overwhelming their main forward operating base at Luton airport and forcing the surviving troops into a chaotic retreat towards the M25 defensive line where blockades and checkpoints were still being set up. All civilian traffic had been barred from the M25 and directed elsewhere. For all intents and purposes, the M25 Motorway (North) was now a military installation.
News reports of the Luton Massacre and the military's rout soon broke, and the sense of dread in the country only worsened, with fringe religious groups calling it a sign of the coming apocalypse. Rumours of the horrendous military casualties during engagements with the infected in Luton and nearby towns spread amongst soldiers, many taking the decision to desert their posts and go home to their families. Several deserters were rounded up, given a field court martial and executed by firing squad to be made an example of, but for the most part deserters got away unpunished, as the army did not have resources to spare looking for them.
Colchester Garrison was overrun after a bloody battle several hours after the Luton debacle, and with that, an undefended Ipswich was stormed by the infected shortly thereafter. The token police force left behind could offer little resistance and fled right along with everybody else. Places such as Hemel Hempstead, Pottersbar and St Albans became fortresses overnight as armed soldiers set up checkpoints and defences in preperatios for preventing any further spread of the infection towards London.
It became clear to senior officials in the Blair administration that the constant video footage and news reports of refugees fleeing, of bloodied bodies and funeral pyres being tended by soldiers wearing biohazard suits was killing the nations' morale. Citing the State of Emergency, the Home Secretary brought up the idea of a "temporary state take over of the media" until the crisis passed. Prime Minister Blair agreed, albeit reluctantly, and within 24 hours all British television and radio stations of significance had been brought under control of the Home Office with support of the MoD, who deployed soldiers and "advisers" to make sure editors adhered to the new "its all going to be fine" guidelines. Nodody was happy with this, and plenty editors and journalists resigned in protest, but they were replaced. And so it came to pass that on 11 May 2002, Freedom of the Press died in the United Kingdom. The rest of the nation wouldnt be far behind it.
Blair made a speech at 4:40 PM 11 May in front of 10 Downing Street, declaring that the government and the armed forces would gain control over the situation, and urged the public to remain calm and obey the authorites. In an apparant attempt at emulating Winston Churchill he said "We shall never surrender. We will stand united, and will fight this scourge until it is wiped from our nation. We will rebuild the broken homes, we will resettle the shattered neighbourhoods, and pray for those that died."
It was not Tony Blairs Winston Churchill moment and there was no Dunkirk Spirit. The only resemblance to Dunkirk in fact was the British refugees crossing the channel TO France and not the other way around.
Worse was too come for the British people. Much worse.
Last edited:
