Caterham Arms pub bombing

{{Infobox civilian attack

| title = Caterham Arms pub bombing

| partof = the Troubles

| image = File:The Village Inn, Caterham - geograph.org.uk - 1353111.jpg

| image_size = 300px

| caption = The Caterham Arms in 2009

| location = Caterham, Surrey, England

| target =

| coordinates = {{Coord|51.2882|-0.0983|display=inline,title}}

| date = 27 August 1975

| time = 21:20

| timezone = GMT

| type = Time bomb

| fatalities = 0

| injuries = 33

| victim =

| perps =

| perp = Provisional Irish Republican Army

}}

On 27 August 1975 a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb exploded without warning at the Caterham Arms public house in Caterham, Surrey, England. There were no fatalities, but 33 people were injured, some severely, including three off-duty soldiers who lost limbs.

Background

In February 1975, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) agreed to a ceasefire with the British government. The last IRA attack in England was in January 1975 when they planted seven time bombs in London.{{Cite book |last=McGladdery |first=Gary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-tzpAAAAIAAJ&q=Caterham+Arms+pub+bombing |title=The Provisional IRA in England: The Bombing Campaign, 1973-1997 |date=2006 |publisher=Irish Academic Press |isbn=978-0-7165-3373-3 |language=en}}Steven P. Moysey, The Road to Balcombe Street - The IRA Reign of Terror in London: Second Edition pg.160-161 ({{ISBN|978-0-7890-2913-3}})

The bombing

The IRA planted a time bomb in the Caterham Arms{{Cite book |last=Wharton |first=Ken |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8d_ZAwAAQBAJ&dq=Caterham+Arms+pub+bombing&pg=PA403 |title=Wasted Years, Wasted Lives Volume 1: The British Army in Northern Ireland 1975-77 |date=2013-07-19 |publisher=Helion and Company |isbn=978-1-909384-55-2 |language=en}} public house{{Cite book |last=Shaw |first=Paul S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ECuDwAAQBAJ&dq=Caterham+Arms+pub+bombing&pg=PA97 |title=A Military Chefs Journey |date=2019-01-06 |publisher=Paul Shaw Publications |isbn=978-1-5272-4308-8 |language=en}} in Caterham, Surrey,{{Cite book |last=Bijl |first=Nicholas van der |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EoeuCAAAQBAJ&dq=Caterham+Arms+pub+bombing&pg=PT166 |title=Operation Banner: The British Army in Northern Ireland, 1969 – 2007 |date=2009-10-19 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-78159-926-6 |language=en}} leaving a {{cvt|7|lb|kg|lk=in}} bomb in a duffel bag under a seat. There was no warning and the bomb exploded at 9:20{{small|pm}}, injuring 23 civilians and 10 off-duty soldiers. The pub was used by members of the Welsh Guards who were based at the barracks nearby.{{Cite book |last=Retallack |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=thbOAwAAQBAJ&dq=Caterham+Arms+pub+bombing&pg=PT201 |title=The Welsh Guards |date=1981-02-20 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-4738-2069-2 |language=en}} Some of the injuries were very serious,{{Cite book |last=Brain |first=Timothy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lV75WQRIfxYC&dq=Caterham+Arms+pub+bombing&pg=PA22 |title=A History of Policing in England and Wales from 1974: A Turbulent Journey |date=2010-03-18 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-921866-0 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Oates |first=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u_G_5OZ1ViIC&dq=Caterham+Arms+pub+bombing&pg=PA123 |title=Attack on London: Disaster, Riot and War |date=2009-04-22 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-84563-056-0 |language=en}} with at least three soldiers losing limbs, including a male soldier, who lost both legs and one arm,{{Cite book |last=Meagher |first=Kevin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WawSEAAAQBAJ&q=Caterham&pg=PT151 |title=What a Bloody Awful Country: Northern Ireland's Century of Division |date=2021-04-27 |publisher=Biteback Publishing |isbn=978-1-78590-667-1 |language=en}} as well as two other soldiers who lost a leg each.{{cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1976-11-02/debates/e71e14a1-6288-409f-b591-f63144ff4ac7/WrittenAnswers|title=Hansard, Written Answers, 2 November 1976}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7V61DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22caterham%22+%22paul+thomas%22+leg&pg=PT142|title=The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London|isbn=9781136748585|last1=Moysey|first1=Steve|date=9 October 2019|publisher=Routledge }}

Aftermath

This attack marked the start of a renewed bombing campaign in England{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Ray |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kulHCgAAQBAJ&dq=Caterham+Arms+pub+bombing&pg=PT239 |title=Special Branch: A History: 1883-2006 |date=2015-08-20 |publisher=Biteback Publishing |isbn=978-1-84954-963-9 |language=en}} and the end of the truce 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.{{cite book |last1=Harnden |first1=Toby |title=Bandit Country: The IRA & South Armagh |date=August 1, 2000 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |isbn=978-0340717370 |pages=342–343 |edition=Paperback }}{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/cgi-bin/PRONI/pronidbase.pl?field=doctype&martin=1&title=(25%20August%201975)&key=PRONI|title=CAIN: PRONI Public Records on CAIN Web|work=ulst.ac.uk}}

The next day on 28 August 1975, the IRA detonated a bomb in Oxford Street, Central London, injuring several people;{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/cgi-bin/PRONI/pronidbase.pl?field=doctype&martin=1&title=(28%20August%201975)&key=PRONI|title=CAIN: PRONI Public Records on CAIN Web|work=ulst.ac.uk}} 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.{{Cite book |last=Moysey |first=Steve |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/869091705 |title=The Road to Balcombe Street : the IRA Reign of Terror in London. |date=2013 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |isbn=978-1-317-85607-8 |location=Hoboken |pages=93 |oclc=869091705}}