Birmingham Pub Bombings - Never Forget!

Today marks the anniversary of the Marxist IRA's worst ever mainland atrocity. On the evening of 21st November 1974, bombs exploded in two public houses in Birmingham, England, killing 21 people and injuring 182 others.

The bombs went off in two busy city centre pubs, the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town. A third device was found abandoned in the doorway of a bank, and detonated by the Bomb Squad.

Many of those wounded were left permanently disabled, including one young man who lost both legs, and a young woman who was blinded by shrapnel. The majority of the dead and wounded were between the ages of 17 and 30,including a young couple on their first date, a young woman whose boyfriend had intended to propose to her on the evening of her death, and two Irishmen, brothers Desmond and Eugene Reilly (aged 21 and 23 respectively).The widow of Desmond Reilly gave birth to his first child four months after his death. One of the victims, 18-year-old Maxine Hambleton, had only entered the Tavern in the Town to hand out tickets to friends for her housewarming party. She was killed seconds after entering the pub and had been standing directly beside the bomb when it exploded, killing her instantly. Her friend, 17-year-old Jane Davis, was one of two 17-year-olds killed in the bombings, and had entered the Tavern in the Town to view holiday photographs she had developed that afternoon.

A memorial plaque for the victims stands in the grounds of Birmingham's Saint Philip's Cathedral. This plaque is engraved with the names of the 21 people killed in the Birmingham pub bombings, and bears the inscription: "The people of Birmingham remember them and those who suffered".

Stay connected! If you want to be notified of our latest videos, livestreams and more, why not consider subscribing to our Purged.tv channel!