Tweet
The Droppin Well bombing occurred on December 6, 1982, when
a small bomb killed seventeen people including 11 soldiers in the
Droppin Well disco and bar in the Northern Irish town of Ballykelly, County Londonderry. The RUC believed that the bomb was
small enough to fit into a handbag, but because the building had
been poorly constructed the weak supports for the heavy concrete
roof gave way under the force of the blast, bringing tons of
concrete down onto the people inside.
The disco was targeted because it was a routine location for
British Army soldiers from the
nearby Shackleton Barracks to
unwind at a weekend and meet some local girls, who were
predominantly Protestant (although
at least one Roman Catholic was
killed in the explosion). Following the blast, it took many hours
to pull survivors from the rubble, as the club had been overfull
with an estimated 150 patrons at the time of the blast. Ultimately,
17 people were found to have died, or died in hospital from their
injuries, and over thirty seriously injured, some permanently.
Suspicion immediately fell upon the Provisional Irish
Republican Army, who denied involvement. Shortly afterwards the
Irish National
Liberation Army, a smaller republican paramilitary group,
admitted culpability, claiming:
"We believe that it is only attacks of such a
nature that bring it home to people in Britain and the British
establishment. The shooting of an individual soldier, for the
people of Britain, has very little effect in terms of the media or
in terms of the British administration."
The attack was criticised by many on both sides of the conflict
in Northern Ireland due to the high loss of civilian lives, six of
whom were killed, none older than 26. Of the eleven soldiers who
died, eight were from the 1st battalion, Cheshire Regiment, two of the Army Catering Corps[1] and one from The Light Infantry.
A suspected operation to ferry INLA leader, Dominic McGlinchey into Armagh six days after the bombing ended when
RUC officers shot dead
INLA members Seamus Grew and
Rodney Carroll near a vehicle checkpoint. It was then
discovered that they were neither armed, nor was McGlinchey in
their car .
Four years after the attack, five people were convicted of
involvement in the explosion. Four were given life sentences for
multiple murder charges, whilst the fifth, the daughter and
girlfriend of two of the other suspects was given 10 years for
manslaughter, as the court believed she had been coerced into
involvement.
* Anna Moore, 40
* Helena Semple, 29
* Eamon Moore, 25
* Patrick Shotter, 40
* Jacqueline Ann Moore, 19 (received 10 years)
A memorial stone has been raised at the site of Shackleton
Barracks to the seventeen fatal casualties of the attack.
1. The dead
* Private Terence Adams, 20
* Private Paul Delaney, 18
* Lance Corporal Steven Bagshaw, 21
* Lance Corporal Clinton Collins, 20
* Private David Murray, 18
* Corporal David Salthouse, 23
* Private Steven Smith, 24
* Lance Corporal Philip McDonough, 26
* Private Neil Williams, 18
* Private Anthony S. Williamson, 20
* Lance Corporal David Wilson-Stitt, 27
* Alan Callaghan, 17
* Ruth Dixon, 17
* Patricia Cooke, 21 (Died on the 16th in hospital)
* Angela Hoole, 19
* Valerie McIntyre, 21
* Carol Watts, 25
a small bomb killed seventeen people including 11 soldiers in the
Droppin Well disco and bar in the Northern Irish town of Ballykelly, County Londonderry. The RUC believed that the bomb was
small enough to fit into a handbag, but because the building had
been poorly constructed the weak supports for the heavy concrete
roof gave way under the force of the blast, bringing tons of
concrete down onto the people inside.
The disco was targeted because it was a routine location for
British Army soldiers from the
nearby Shackleton Barracks to
unwind at a weekend and meet some local girls, who were
predominantly Protestant (although
at least one Roman Catholic was
killed in the explosion). Following the blast, it took many hours
to pull survivors from the rubble, as the club had been overfull
with an estimated 150 patrons at the time of the blast. Ultimately,
17 people were found to have died, or died in hospital from their
injuries, and over thirty seriously injured, some permanently.
Suspicion immediately fell upon the Provisional Irish
Republican Army, who denied involvement. Shortly afterwards the
Irish National
Liberation Army, a smaller republican paramilitary group,
admitted culpability, claiming:
"We believe that it is only attacks of such a
nature that bring it home to people in Britain and the British
establishment. The shooting of an individual soldier, for the
people of Britain, has very little effect in terms of the media or
in terms of the British administration."
The attack was criticised by many on both sides of the conflict
in Northern Ireland due to the high loss of civilian lives, six of
whom were killed, none older than 26. Of the eleven soldiers who
died, eight were from the 1st battalion, Cheshire Regiment, two of the Army Catering Corps[1] and one from The Light Infantry.
A suspected operation to ferry INLA leader, Dominic McGlinchey into Armagh six days after the bombing ended when
RUC officers shot dead
INLA members Seamus Grew and
Rodney Carroll near a vehicle checkpoint. It was then
discovered that they were neither armed, nor was McGlinchey in
their car .
Four years after the attack, five people were convicted of
involvement in the explosion. Four were given life sentences for
multiple murder charges, whilst the fifth, the daughter and
girlfriend of two of the other suspects was given 10 years for
manslaughter, as the court believed she had been coerced into
involvement.
* Anna Moore, 40
* Helena Semple, 29
* Eamon Moore, 25
* Patrick Shotter, 40
* Jacqueline Ann Moore, 19 (received 10 years)
A memorial stone has been raised at the site of Shackleton
Barracks to the seventeen fatal casualties of the attack.
1. The dead
* Private Terence Adams, 20
* Private Paul Delaney, 18
* Lance Corporal Steven Bagshaw, 21
* Lance Corporal Clinton Collins, 20
* Private David Murray, 18
* Corporal David Salthouse, 23
* Private Steven Smith, 24
* Lance Corporal Philip McDonough, 26
* Private Neil Williams, 18
* Private Anthony S. Williamson, 20
* Lance Corporal David Wilson-Stitt, 27
* Alan Callaghan, 17
* Ruth Dixon, 17
* Patricia Cooke, 21 (Died on the 16th in hospital)
* Angela Hoole, 19
* Valerie McIntyre, 21
* Carol Watts, 25
ops: Sorry if the pun mistress offended anybody but PTSD has invaded my marriage so much that is what it feels like, an invisible 3rd person, who dictates to us what we can and can't do.
Comment