On Thursday 9 October 1975, a bomb attack just outside Green Park Underground station in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, left one man dead and injured 20 others. The attack was carried out by

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

from the

Provisional IRA's Balcombe Street Gang The Balcombe Street Gang was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) active service unit (ASU) (also known as the Balcombe Street Four or the Balcombe Street Unit) who carried out a bombing campaign in southern England in the mid-1970s. The ...

. The attack occurred during a period of heightened activity by the IRA in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and in particular London and surrounding areas, since the Caterham Arms pub bombing two months earlier in August 1975.

Background

In March 1973 the Provisional IRA bombed England for the first time when they bombed the Old Bailey courthouse in the centre of London, killing one person and injuring over 200. During summer 1974 the IRA launched a string of attacks in England, which included a letter bomb campaign and the bombing of

Westminster Hall The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

. In October 1974 a new, more intense bombing campaign was launched in England by the IRA

Active Service Unit An active service unit (ASU; ) was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) cell of four to ten members, tasked with carrying out armed attacks. In 2002, the IRA had about 1,000 active members of which about 300 were in active service units. T ...

known as the Balcombe Street gang. In February 1975 the IRA agreed to a long term truce with the British government. The truce officially lasted until January 1976, but the IRA broke the truce on 27 August 1975 when they bombed a pub in Caterham, Surrey injuring over 30 people. A month before the bombing outside Green Park station, the IRA unit bombed the Hilton Hotel in London on 5 September 1975 which killed two people and injured over 60 others.

The bombing

At around 21:00 GMT on 9 October 1975, a bomb thrown at a bus stop just outside Green Park Underground station exploded, killing a homeless man (23-year-old Graham Ronald Tuck), who died of a heart attack after suffering severe head and chest injuries. 20 other people, including two children, were injured; the majority of the injuries were the result of flying glass hitting passers-by. The force of the blast threw pedestrians off their feet, shattered shop windows across the road and blew cars onto the pavement. The station had not been the original target, the bomber was constructing a bomb in the toilet of the

Ritz Hotel London The Ritz London is a Grade II listed 5-star hotel in Piccadilly, London, England. A symbol of high society and luxury, the hotel is one of the world's most prestigious and best known. The Ritz has become so associated with luxury and elegance ...

when he heard noises that startled him; he ran out of the hotel and threw the bomb at the station a few yards across the road and jumped into his getaway car. The attack occurred almost exactly one year after the

Guildford pub bombings The Guildford pub bombings occurred on 5 October 1974 when the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated two gelignite bombs at two pubs in Guildford, Surrey, England. The pubs were targeted because they were popular with British Army p ...

in October 1974. The force of the explosion threw cutlery and glassware from the dining tables in the Ritz Hotel. Customers escaped injury because the main restaurant, which bore the brunt of the blast, had been emptied to make way for a wedding reception earlier that day.

Aftermath

The IRA's bombing campaign in London would continue their campaign killing several more people and injuring dozens more in bomb and gun attacks. The worst of these was the bombing at Walton's restaurant in November which killed two people and injured over 20 others. The active service unit was caught at the siege of Balcombe Street in December 1975 ending its campaign in London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piccadilly bombing, 1975 1975 in London 1970s crimes in London Provisional IRA bombings in London October 1975 events in the United Kingdom 1975 crimes in the United Kingdom 1970s in the City of Westminster Crime in the City of Westminster Explosions in 1975 Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1975

Background

The bombing

Aftermath

See also

References