By T.R. Reid Washington Post Foreign Service Thursday, September 13, 2001; Page A25
LONDON, Sept. 12 -- On a nondescript traffic island near Grosvenor Square, somebody tied an American flag 'round an old oak tree early today. Ever since, a mountain has been growing beside the tree -- a mountain of flowers, flags, cards, candles, tear-stained notes, pictures, paintings and a New York Yankees cap. This is the British people's spontaneous tribute to the Americans who were murdered Tuesday by terrorists.
There were no instructions about this, no coordination. There are simply ordinary people who feel a need to send America a message. They are people like Rob Anderson of London, who left a big spray of roses with a handwritten card: "Dear America, You supported us in two world wars. We stand with you now."
The floral mountain on Grosvenor Square, across the street from the U.S. Embassy, is the most eloquent sign of a massive outpouring of affection for the United States and its people that has spread in a hurry here as people watch the horrifying video of New York and Washington over and over again.
The Union Jack is at half-staff everywhere. London's largest cathedral, St. Paul's, has invited every Yank in town to a memorial service on Friday. The local paper in Ipswich devoted its entire front page today to a banner headline: "God Bless America."
And when the guard changes at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, the band is going to play, for the first time ever, "The Star-Spangled Banner."
In many other cities of the world, U.S. diplomatic missions today found their doorsteps bedecked with flowers -- in Berlin, Toronto and East Jerusalem, to name a few.
Outside the embassy in Moscow, piles of flowers, Orthodox icons, stuffed animals and flickering candles were left to express solidarity. The newly arrived U.S. ambassador, Alexander Vershbow, felt compelled to emerge from the building to offer thanks on behalf of the Americans working inside.
Few people, however, feel the connection to the United States that the British do. The country is seen as their best friend in the world, their richest market and their closest ally. They feel this even though the transatlantic alliance is usually marked, on this side, by a certain air of disapproval, like a vicar grimacing at the antics of an overactive choirboy.
But now the routine gibes about uncouth Americans have evaporated in the shock of the terrorist attack. Today, the British view is better summarized by the card left by the Collins family on the flowers they brought to the traffic island: "We love you, America, our brothers -- brothers in arms, brothers in ideals."
"We know America is a great country of wonderful people," said Sharon Jones, a second-grade teacher at London's Brampton Primary School, who left an oversized card her class had made. "So the students basically ordered me to bring this card here."
Floral tributes are common in Britain. The growing mountain at Grosvenor Square is similar to, but so far much smaller than, the vast sea of bouquets that covered London's parks when Princess Diana died in 1997.
For the most part, the tributes are flowers, generally with handwritten messages -- in some cases, long letters -- attached. But people bring teddy bears, T-shirts, cricket bats, baseball caps or whatever else seems appropriate. Someone has left a large photograph, framed in black, of the New York City skyline, with the now-demolished World Trade Center towering over all.
Judging from the cards, most of the tributes have been left by individuals and families. But some come from businesses, such as the London branch of a New York firm, which placed this note: "To memory of staff of Alliance Consulting, 102nd floor, South Tower, World Trade Centre. We now know none of them got out."
There are many bouquets from Islamic organizations. Almost every group and alliance in Britain's large Islamic community has condemned the attack.
The floral mountain has also drawn swarms of Americans. Nearly all seem to give way to tears on the spot. "You
know, I've watched the news for 24 hours straight, and did not break up," said Peter Martin, a Pennsylvanian who
works in marketing here. "Then I saw this huge act of kindness for our country and the victims, just out here on the
street. Now I can't stop crying."
-- Anonymous, September 13, 2001