On 27 August 1975 a

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

exploded without warning at the Caterham Arms

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

lic house in

Caterham Caterham () is a town in the Tandridge (district), Tandridge district of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valle ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, England. There were no fatalities, but 33 people were injured, some severely, including three off-duty

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...

who lost limbs.

Background

In February 1975, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) agreed to a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

with the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

. The last IRA attack in England was in January 1975 when they planted seven

time bomb A time bomb (or a timebomb, time-bomb) is a bomb whose detonation is triggered by a timer. The use or attempted use of time bombs has been for various purposes including insurance fraud, terrorism, assassination, sabotage and warfare. They are a ...

s in London.

The bombing

The IRA planted a

in the Caterham Arms public house in Caterham, Surrey, leaving a bomb in a

duffel bag A duffel bag, duffle bag, or kit bag is a large bag made of either natural or synthetic fabric (typically canvas or nylon). History Historically a duffel bag had a top closure using a drawstring. Later bags had a webbing hand grip, along with ...

under a seat. There was no warning and the bomb exploded at 9:20, injuring 23

civilian A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...

s and 10 off-duty soldiers. The pub was used by members of the

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WLSH GDS; ), part of the Guards and Parachute Division, Guards Division, is one of the Foot guards, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the World War I, First ...

who were based at the barracks nearby. Some of the injuries were very serious, with at least three soldiers losing limbs, including a male soldier, who lost both legs and one arm, as well as two other soldiers who lost a leg each.

Aftermath

This attack marked the start of a renewed bombing campaign in England and the end of the

truce A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

with the British government in England, in Ireland the truce was also starting to break with the South Armagh Brigade no longer recognizing the cease fire, having killed four British soldiers in July in a landmine attack in Forkhill, officially the truce lasted until January 1976. The next day on 28 August 1975, the IRA

detonate Detonation () is a type of combustion involving a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations propagate supersonically through shock waves wit ...

d a bomb in

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...

, injuring several people; the following day on 29 August the IRA planted a booby-trap bomb in the doorway of a K-Shoes shop. Army bomb-disposal officer Roger Goad was killed while attempting to defuse the bomb.

References

{{The Troubles 1975 in England 1975 building bombings 1970s in Surrey Attacks on bars in the United Kingdom 1975 crimes August 1975 August 1975 in the United Kingdom Building bombings in England Provisional IRA bombings in England Tandridge Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1975 Violence in Surrey

Background

The bombing

Aftermath

See also

References