50 years today since the Birmingham pub bombings

There was a lovely service here in Birmingham on the anniversary this week. It was at Grand Central Station where there is a memorial to the victims. The Duchess of Edinburgh attended and spoke, as did the Irish Ambassador. A man spoke whose father was killed in the bombings whilst his mother was pregnant with him. 21 white roses were placed on the memorial by relatives of the deceased. Very moving.

I recall it only too well Kate1949 and thank you for raising it in memory of those lost. My fiancé and I knew the pub well though we didn’t live in Birmingham we’d been there often, being just a 15 minute train trip away. A day and evening in Brum was a big treat. The shock and horror lasted a long time. So did the shame of being Irish, it made you feel tainted somehow; that took a long time to shake off. Our wedding was soon after, with members my family coming from Ireland for the wedding. It was like a big shadow hanging over everything. And of course, 16 years of a life sentence served by the wrong people which was tragic for them and their families.

I can remember another vile IRA attack on an RAF sergeant's car in Germany that killed his baby daughter.. It;s even more sickening when you had people like Jeremy Corbyn going to IRA funerals and John Mc Donnell calling them freedom fighters.

I will never forget that awful night. I was studying at Aston University at the time and living in a hall of residence in the city centre. My flatmates and I knew something very serious had happened because of all the sirens, we were right next to the fire station. We only knew what had happened when it was on the news.
It was a very frightening time, there were suggestions that other bombs had been set around the city centre and we were scared for ourselves and worried about friends who were out in the centre that night, both pubs were popular with us students.
It was also impossible to ring home to reassure family as all public phone lines were busy. As commented above, the city was a very different place for quite some time.
My heart goes out to all those bereaved or injured and to those who were involved in the aftermath.

I'm glad (if that's the right word) you remember it. It was an awful time for our city.

A really horrible time we were by the SAS camp area so things were on high alert constantly. once mum and dad got caught when a store was evacuated, many were false alarms but it was still terrifying.
the Pub bombings were awful so sad. my cousin was living nearby at the time there were no phones etc at home so it took a while before we knew she was not there that night so was safe and well.
when mum went shopping in Birmingham it was a real worry

I remember it well and was 10 years old. A few weeks later I went to Birmingham with my Aunty and Cousins, we went into Littlewoods for our Lunch, and just as we sat down to eat, there was a Bomb Scare, we had to leave everything and leave the building. My Aunty was most put out that she had paid and we couldn't eat. I was terrified. Think it was about 5 years on, before I went to Birmingham again.

I can't really remember the Birmingham pub bombings, but can remember some of the IRA bombing campaigns in the eighties like the Harrods bomb and the one they let off during a militaty band concert that killed 9 people. I'm glad this era seems to have passed as you were always on edge going to London then

I don't remember the B'hm one very well but lived in London all through the IRA bombings. I lived in South Ken when the Barracks was bombed and the horse killed. I was away that week on a training course and had to phone home to let parents know I wasn't there.

I was in an office in Oxford St when the Oxford St bomb killed the police officer attempting to defuse it. We had a training department in Evelyn House on the other side of the road.

I spent many, many hours stuck on hot, airless tube trains. I used to walk to and from work in Tottenham Court Road the length of Oxford Street and it was hair-raising never knowing if the shop window would blow out as you passed by.

Oh and my cousin a police officer was killed in the Harrods bombing.

How awful. A lot of people have forgotten this era. It makes me mad when people leave unattended bags in restaurants, cafes etc. We always report it to staff and they look at us as if to say 'So what?'

My first husband was stationed in RAF Germany in the ‘80’s. We had 3 very small children. Whether outside your home or at the supermarket you had to search your car for bombs before getting in.
Someone has already mentioned Mick Islania and his dear baby daughter Ruthi. They were killed in cold blood by 2 IRA terrorists (who knew the baby was on the car too). Three RAF regiment guys were shot to death in their car in Roermond, a place we regularly visited. And also 2 Australian tourists were mistaken for servicemen and were also executed in their car. As far as I know nobody was ever brought to justice for these heinous crimes. No British servicemen and women should face trial until those murderers are brought to justice, especially for baby Ruthi.
We will remember them.

Gillycats, I share your feelings about the prosecution of now very elderly former military who were based in Northern Ireland, in the absence of prosecutions, or even acknowledging responsibility for horrific murders by paramilitaries. Having said this, there have been less deaths since the Good Friday agreement