Hyde Park and Regents Park bombings
Encyclopedia
The Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings occurred on 20 July 1982 in London
, England. Members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) detonated two bombs during British military
ceremonies in Hyde Park
and Regent's Park
. The explosions killed eleven military personnel: four soldiers of the Blues & Royals
and seven military bandsmen of the Royal Green Jackets
. Seven of the regiment's horses also died in the attack. One of the seriously injured horses, Sefton
, survived; afterwards he featured on many television programmes and was awarded "Horse of the Year".
The first attack was a large nail bomb
hidden in a blue Austin car parked on South Carriage Drive in Hyde Park
, along the route used by the Household Cavalry
– the Queen's official bodyguard regiment during the Changing of the Guard
between Buckingham Palace
and Knightsbridge
. Three soldiers of the Blues and Royals
were killed instantly, and another died on 23 July from his injuries. The other soldiers in the procession were all badly wounded and shrapnel and nails sprayed into the crowd of tourists assembled to watch the parade, causing further injuries. Seven of the regiment's horses were also killed or had to be put down because of their injuries.
Bomb experts believed that the first bomb was a remote-detonated improvised explosive device
, which was exploded at just the right point to catch the parade.
exploded during a performance of the music from Oliver!
by the Royal Green Jackets
band to a crowd of 120 people. Here too, the crowd was peppered by shrapnel from the iron bandstand, causing dozens of injuries amongst the audience, as well as killing or wounding the entire band. The blast was so powerful that one of the bodies was thrown onto an iron fence thirty yards away, and seven bandsmen were killed outright.
The second bomb was thought to have been placed under the bandstand weeks in advance, with a timer set to the date and time of the advertised concert.
Margaret Thatcher
's words just a few months previously when Britain entered the Falklands War
. They proclaimed that: "The Irish people have sovereign and national rights which no task or occupational force can put down". Reacting to the bombing, Thatcher stated that "These callous and cowardly crimes have been committed by evil, brutal men who know nothing of democracy. We shall not rest until they are brought to justice."
In 1987, Danny McNamee
was sentenced to 25 years for the Hyde Park bomb despite McNamee pleading that he was innocent. In 1998, shortly after his release under the Good Friday Agreement
, a judge overturned his conviction, deeming it "unsafe" because of withheld fingerprint evidence that implicated other bomb-makers.
Sefton
, a horse that survived the Hyde Park bombing despite serious injuries became well-known due to the Horse of the Year Show
where he was awarded Horse of the Year and his numerous television appearances.
The British Progressive rock
band Pink Floyd
made reference to the bombings in their song "The Gunner's Dream" from the album The Final Cut
. One of the lines goes "You can relax, on both sides of the tracks, and maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control".
A memorial marks the place of the Hyde Park explosion and the troop honours it daily with an eyes left and salute with drawn swords.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. Members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) detonated two bombs during British military
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
ceremonies in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
and Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
. The explosions killed eleven military personnel: four soldiers of the Blues & Royals
Blues and Royals
The Blues and Royals is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel-in-Chief is Her Majesty The Queen and the Colonel is HRH The Princess Royal...
and seven military bandsmen of the Royal Green Jackets
Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division .-History:...
. Seven of the regiment's horses also died in the attack. One of the seriously injured horses, Sefton
Sefton (Horse)
Sefton was a horse who served with the British Army for 17 years from 1967 to 1984, coming to prominence when he was critically injured in the Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings which killed seven other horses, and four soldiers. He recovered sufficiently to return to active service and was...
, survived; afterwards he featured on many television programmes and was awarded "Horse of the Year".
First bomb
Nail bomb
The nail bomb is an anti-personnel explosive device packed with nails to increase its wounding ability. The nails act as shrapnel, leading almost certainly to greater loss of life and injury in inhabited areas than the explosives alone would. The nail bomb is also a type of flechette weapon...
hidden in a blue Austin car parked on South Carriage Drive in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
, along the route used by the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
– the Queen's official bodyguard regiment during the Changing of the Guard
Guard Mounting
Guard Mounting, or Changing the Guard , refers to a formal ceremony in which sentries providing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries...
between Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
and Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
. Three soldiers of the Blues and Royals
Blues and Royals
The Blues and Royals is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel-in-Chief is Her Majesty The Queen and the Colonel is HRH The Princess Royal...
were killed instantly, and another died on 23 July from his injuries. The other soldiers in the procession were all badly wounded and shrapnel and nails sprayed into the crowd of tourists assembled to watch the parade, causing further injuries. Seven of the regiment's horses were also killed or had to be put down because of their injuries.
Bomb experts believed that the first bomb was a remote-detonated improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
, which was exploded at just the right point to catch the parade.
Second bomb
The second explosion occurred just over two hours later, when a bomb hidden underneath the bandstand in Regent's ParkRegent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
exploded during a performance of the music from Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
by the Royal Green Jackets
Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division .-History:...
band to a crowd of 120 people. Here too, the crowd was peppered by shrapnel from the iron bandstand, causing dozens of injuries amongst the audience, as well as killing or wounding the entire band. The blast was so powerful that one of the bodies was thrown onto an iron fence thirty yards away, and seven bandsmen were killed outright.
The second bomb was thought to have been placed under the bandstand weeks in advance, with a timer set to the date and time of the advertised concert.
Aftermath
The IRA claimed responsibility for the attack by deliberately mirroring Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's words just a few months previously when Britain entered the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. They proclaimed that: "The Irish people have sovereign and national rights which no task or occupational force can put down". Reacting to the bombing, Thatcher stated that "These callous and cowardly crimes have been committed by evil, brutal men who know nothing of democracy. We shall not rest until they are brought to justice."
In 1987, Danny McNamee
Danny McNamee
Gilbert "Danny" McNamee is a former electronic engineer from Crossmaglen, Northern Ireland, who was wrongly convicted in 1987 of conspiracy to cause explosions, including the Provisional Irish Republican Army's Hyde Park bombing in 1982.McNamee was arrested on 16 August 1986 at his home in...
was sentenced to 25 years for the Hyde Park bomb despite McNamee pleading that he was innocent. In 1998, shortly after his release under the Good Friday Agreement
Belfast Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
, a judge overturned his conviction, deeming it "unsafe" because of withheld fingerprint evidence that implicated other bomb-makers.
Sefton
Sefton (Horse)
Sefton was a horse who served with the British Army for 17 years from 1967 to 1984, coming to prominence when he was critically injured in the Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings which killed seven other horses, and four soldiers. He recovered sufficiently to return to active service and was...
, a horse that survived the Hyde Park bombing despite serious injuries became well-known due to the Horse of the Year Show
Horse of the Year Show
The Horse of the Year Show - also known as HOYS - was founded to be a culmination of the British equestrian events year. Because of this, the show needed to be held indoors, making it a unique event....
where he was awarded Horse of the Year and his numerous television appearances.
The British Progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
made reference to the bombings in their song "The Gunner's Dream" from the album The Final Cut
The Final Cut (album)
The Final Cut is the twelfth studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. It was released in March 1983 by Harvest Records in the United Kingdom, and several weeks later by Columbia Records in the United States. A concept album, The Final Cut is the last of the band's releases to...
. One of the lines goes "You can relax, on both sides of the tracks, and maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control".
A memorial marks the place of the Hyde Park explosion and the troop honours it daily with an eyes left and salute with drawn swords.