Family's upset at council moving 9/11 memorial

The wife of Michael Egan is travelling to the city with her family from the US this weekend to mark the 15th anniversary of the tragedy.

Mr Egan, who grew up in Hull, was vice-president of multinational insurance giant AON, which had offices on the 100th floor of the south tower of America’s most famous landmark. His 55-year-old sister Christine had been staying at his luxury New Jersey home and visiting his offices on September 11.

His wife Anna has been told the memorials will be put in storage and that it will be up to his family where they go next.

She said she was “quite hurt”, adding: “Michael loved Hull and this memorial in the city is a representation of all those who died that day.”

However Hull Council said it had to move the memorials because of repeated vandalism to a statue in the Peace Garden close to Hull College, called Mankind Under Threat. In a statement Jane Price, assistant city manager for neighbourhoods, said: “The statue will be relocated near the Treasury to ensure it is in a more visible location and the memorials will be housed with Bereavement Services until suitable locations are found.

“We have been liaising closely with the Egan family to keep them up to date with the proposed changes in Queens Gardens and in the longer term we will work with them to find a safer permanent home.”

After the disaster it emerged Mr Egan reached safety but went back into the burning building to free his staff. Three times he returned and saved many lives. He is then thought to have gone looking for his sister, a nurse who lived at Winnipeg, Canada, and was not seen again.

Miss Egan, who completed a PhD at the University of Manitoba in 2000, emigrated after enjoying a visit to North America.

Mr Egan left home several years after his sister and worked all over the world before settling in New York, although he stayed very close to his family. He had moved to his New Jersey home with his wife and their sons, Jonathan, then 17, and Matthew, then 15.