Nigel Thompson: Remembering the 'kind and gentle' Sheffield man killed in September 11 terror attacks

Nigel Bruce Thompson was one of nearly 3,000 people who were killed during the atrocity 23 years ago today in 2001.

He was just 33 and was working on the 105th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Centre when planes struck the iconic twin towers on September 11, 2001.

‘My love, my heart, my soul, my courage’

Mr Thompson, who worked for brokers Cantor Fitzgerald, would have celebrated his first anniversary with wife Rosana on October 21 of that year.

His widow described him in a heartbreaking tribute as ‘my love, my heart, my soul, my courage’.

Identical twin’s tribute to ‘go-getter’

Speaking at the time of the tragedy, Mr Thompson's identical twin, Neal, said his brother was his opposite: a good-dresser, a physical fitness buff, and tidy.

He told how they came to New York in the ‘90s from England and Nigel pushed him to be his best, adding: "He was a go-getter.

Tributes poured in to Mr Thompson following his death, with one person describing him as a ‘good friend and colleague’ who was ‘missed dearly’, another writing how he was ‘never forgotten’, and a third remembering him as ‘such a kind and gentle person’.

Another person shared their ‘treasured’ memories of growing up together and attending first Hallam Infants and Junior Schools and then Tapton.

They added: “I shall never forget the good times we had, riding around on our bikes and the laughs we shared while playing snooker at your Mum & Dad's in Sheffield.”

‘Never forgotten’

Nick Boski, a good friend, said he and Mr. Thompson got together every Sunday night to watch ‘The Sopranos.’

Or they would go down to the Brooklyn Heights promenade and smoke cigars from Mr. Thompson's collection.

"You could see the World Trade Center," Mr. Boski said of the view. "I still go down there to feel connected to him."

Memorials on both sides of the Atlantic

There are memorials to Mr Thompson on both sides of the Atlantic, with trees planted in New York’s Central Park and at the University of York, where he graduated from the university's economics department in 1990.

A memorial bench was also installed in the woods overlooking Sheffield’s Rivelin Valley.

Mr Thompson’s twin launched a scholarship scheme in his memory at the University of York. He described at the time how his brother ‘was never afraid to reach for his dreams’.

Mr Thompson was one of 2,977 people who were killed in the attacks on the twin towers, the Pentagon and on another plane which was believed to be headed for the White House. More than 6,000 people were injured.