Brighton Hotel Bombing

looking back Brighton hotel bombing Thirty years ago, the IRA killed fi ve people and injured dozens more when they targeted Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party Conference in Brighton, UK, writes Tony Moore lthough relatively small by IRA standards, Tebbit was left permanently disabled. the bomb that exploded in the early hours The other four people who died were Sir Aof October 12, 1984, killed fi ve people Anthony Berry, Eric Taylor, Lady Muriel and caused the midsection of the Grand Hotel to Maclean and Jeanne Shattock, both of collapse into its basement, leaving a gaping hole whose husbands survived. In fact Sir Donald in its facade. One journalist described it as the and Lady Maclean had been in Room 629. most audacious attack on a British government Thirty-four people were taken to hospital. since the Gunpowder Plot in 1605; another Margaret Thatcher began the fi nal day of suggested it was the most ambitious operation the conference at 09:30hrs, as scheduled. ever carried out by the IRA against the British. She had planned to launch an attack on the The bomb, consisting of between 10 and 15 Labour Party; instead she launched an attack kilos of explosives, was placed behind a bath on terrorism, suggesting that the attack panel in Room 629, at the front of the hotel near was: “An attempt to cripple Her Majesty’s the top, by Patrick McGee, an IRA explosives democratically elected government.” Some offi cer, who had booked into the hotel under hours after the explosion, the IRA issued the the fi ctitious name of Roy Walsh four weeks famous statement, part of which read: ‘Today, previously. The device had a timer made from a we were unlucky, but remember we only have to video recorder, which was set to go off 24 days, be lucky once. You will have to be lucky always’. six hours and 36 minutes after being activated The investigation, led by the head of Sussex by McGee shortly before he left the hotel. Police CID, Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Rees, began immediately. Mrs Shattock Collapsed had been blown out of her room, across In a nearby room, Prime Minister Margaret a corridor and into Room 638. Small Thatcher had just completed fi nalising her fragments of bathroom tile had entered her speech for the fi nal day of the conference. She body like bullets and she died immediately. was safe, as were other ministers. Some were Her injuries indicated the direction of the not so lucky and lay amid the collapsed rubble. blast and also the seat of the explosion. Police were already on scene, monitoring Eventually the seat of the explosion the hotel and its surrounds from a temporary was narrowed to Room 629. police control room in the building. Firefi ghters The task of tracing everyone who had and paramedics arrived quickly, while police stayed in the hotel in the weeks leading up offi cers, some of them armed, deployed to the conference was enormous. Eventually to protect the PM and other ministers from they went to the address given by ‘Walsh’ a secondary attack; a consultant surgeon and found it to be false. But a sole fi ngerprint staying at the hotel also offered his assistance. left on the registration card identifi ed The police eventually sealed off the area his correct name as Patrick McGee. surrounding the hotel to provide a secure zone McGee was eventually arrested in Glasgow in which the rescue services could operate. on June 24, 1985, along with other members of Some had miraculous escapes, falling an IRA active service unit, who were planning from the sixth fl oor along with huge lumps of to carry out further bombings on the British concrete, but able to crawl out of the rubble. Two ministers, Norman Tebbit and John The Grand Hotel in mainland. McGee was given eight life sentences Others were not so lucky. The rescue of those Wakeham were found sandwiched between Brighton was left with and the judge recommended he serve a trapped involved cutting through layers of layers of rubble and their mattresses – the latter a gaping hole in its minimum of 35 years. He was released, under rubble. Rescuers were helped by television having protected them from more serious injury. facade after the bomb the terms of the Good Friday agreement, after camera lights, which lit up the scene. The rescue of Norman Tebbit was seen live on attack by the IRA, serving 14 years. CRJ Slowly, those who were trapped were removed breakfast-time television. John Wakeham was which targeted the from the rubble. This often meant medical the last person to be pulled out alive from the government of the time Author personnel working alongside fi refi ghters in wreckage some seven hours after the explosion. Rex Features Tony Moore is a Fellow and Deputy confi ned and dangerous areas. Life-saving drips Their wives were not so lucky. Roberta President of the Institute of Civil Protection and injections were administered in some cases. Wakeham had been killed and Margaret and Emergency Management 72 Resources, links, pictures, videos and much more are available for subscribers in our digital and online editions www.crisis-response.com.

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