Rhyl Journal readers share their memories of 9/11 attacks 20 years on

That is the question we put to our readers on the on the 20th anniversary of the dreadful 9/11 attacks.

Tracy Lynch recalls working in home care and visiting a gentleman in Rhyl.

She said: "His wife asked me to do some ironing and the TV was on so we watched the news together.

"We were totally shocked at what we were seeing, one of the worse things I had ever seen. It was so heartbreaking."

David Roberts was in navy shipyard on board the Disney Wonder cruise ship.

"I was a crew member and we were going in for a dry dock that morning," he remembers.

Photo of the World Trade Center collapsing on September 11 from a Secret Service employee (Donated photo). Picture: U.S. Secret Service / Twitter

"Norfolk North Carolina. I think we were taken back out to sea.

"I remember watching event unfold in the crew bar and being told by the captain not to go outside on to top deck."

Richard Thomas was in Ontario, East-central Canada.

He said: "I walk into our aunt's home to see 'live', the second plane hit the tower.

"Planes were flying across the sky from every direction coming out of the USA to Canada to be grounded with all their passengers wondering how they were getting home."

Carol Evans recalls carrying out snagging inspections in Water Street, Rhyl, on that awful day.

"Each property I went into had it on the tv," she said.

"I just couldn't believe it."

Bubs Mac was sat in her form class, at Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan in Abergele, when her tutor broke the news.

She said: "We were all told to go home asap and that all transport would be arranged for all kids to go home," she added.

"I remember seeing my mum watching the news, that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Centre. It was all we watched for a week."

Yvette Giblin had just woken up after having her Kidney removed at Glan Clwyd Hospital when she heard nurses "sobbing".

"I thought at first all the nurses were watching Die Hard and didn't understand why they were crying."

Sammy Clowes was suffering with morning sickness and was driving home to Lambourne when the attacks happened.

She said: "I had just walked through the front door, placed my keys on the side table, kicked my shoes off sat down turned the television on at which point the first plane hit the first tower. My heart sank and my stomach was a mess even more so as my aunt and uncle were in New York on holiday before heading to Canada.

"All mobile and telephone communications out there were off so we had no idea if they were safe for over a week.

"The press released more information on the loss of lives and about the responders trying to save people. It all being televised to the world, it left me reeling.

"It is etched that day in my brain for the rest of my life; Remember-Respect-Honour."

David Cooper was fishing on the river Severn in Shrewsbury.

He recalled: "A bloke came up to me and told me what was going on. I really thought it was a wind up until I got back to my car and put the radio on later."

There were four co-ordinated terrorist attacks on the USA.

Hijackers crashed planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon while passengers managed to regain control of a plane heading for Washington DC before it crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.