Duchess of Edinburgh at Birmingham pub bombing memorial as families renew inquiry plea on 50th anniversary

21 November 2024, 14:27 | Updated: 21 November 2024, 17:08

A memorial has been held for the 21 people killed 50 years ago today in the IRA pub bombings in Birmingham.

Twin blasts went off minutes apart in the Mulberry Bush, at the bottom of the Rotunda building, and the Tavern in the Town in New Street.

Another 182 people were injured but no one has ever been brought to justice, with families today renewing calls for an urgent public inquiry.

There was a minute's silence at the ceremony and the victims' names were read out by Birmingham MP Jess Phillips and former West Midlands mayor Andy Street.

As they did so, family members came up one by one to lay a red rose on the memorial.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, addressed the crowd near New Street station and delivered a message from the King, who was not able to attend.

He said the victims remained "very much in our thoughts" and paid a "heartfelt tribute to those who rushed to their aid".

"What happened on this day 50 years ago was one of so many dreadful tragedies in a devastating period that touched us all, many of us very personally," said the King.

His message also expressed "sincere admiration for you, the people of Birmingham, who have lived so courageously with the grief of that day and the days that followed".

"Your exceptional strength of spirit and resolve has truly embodied this wonderful city's elemental motto 'Forward'," the monarch said.

Among relatives pushing for a public inquiry are Julie and Brian Hambleton, whose 18-year-old sister Maxine Hambleton was killed.

"Fifty years for us is just like last week, and for the survivors too, I would imagine that they relive it in their sleep with nightmares," said Ms Hambleton, 61.

Mr Hambleton said he remembers vividly the last time he saw her sister, dropping her off in the city centre and "seeing her get out of the car and walk away".

Maxine's family believe the 2019 inquest into the incident was a "whitewash".

They hope a public inquiry could force documents - currently under a 75-year secrecy order - to be disclosed, as well as compelling people to give evidence.

"That could potentially bring about new evidence," said Ms Hambleton.

"With that new evidence there is a possibility that a fresh investigation could take place, where a potential perpetrator or perpetrators could be investigated."

Mr Hambleton, 69, added: "It wasn't just 21 people that died on that evening. A lot of family members died afterwards because they turned to alcohol, prescription drugs and they just died heartbroken."

The inquest jury in 2019 found a botched IRA warning prior to the attack caused the deaths as it cost police vital time searching the area.

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An unidentified person, 'Witness 0', gave evidence and named four men he said were involved: Seamus McLoughlin, Mick Murray, Michael Hayes and James Francis Gavin.

Seamus McLoughlin, who the witness said planned the attack, died in 2014, and Gavin died in 2002.

Hayes told media in 2017 he took "collective responsibility" and had defused a third bomb on the night of the blast.

Mick Murray - said to have been behind the botched warning - died in 1999.

Six other Irish men had been wrongly convicted in 1975 over the atrocity and freed in 1991 after a court said the convictions were unsafe

West Midlands Police said in a statement: "We know the families and survivors of the tragedy feel the pain every bit as much now as they did then and that they maintain a desire for answers regarding the events of that terrible day.

"The bombings were abhorrent, cowardly and evil and shook Birmingham to its very core. It will always be remembered as one of Birmingham's darkest hours."

(c) Sky News 2024: Duchess of Edinburgh at Birmingham pub bombing memorial as families renew inquiry plea on 50th anniversary