Baltic Exchange bombing
| Baltic Exchange bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part ofthe Troubles | |
| Location | St Mary Axe,City of London,United Kingdom |
| Date | 10 April 1992 21:20 (UTC) |
| Target | City of London |
Attack type | Truck bomb |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 91 |
| Perpetrator | Provisional Irish Republican Army(IRA) |
TheBaltic Exchange bombingwas an attack by theProvisional IRAon theCity of London,Britain's financial centre, on 10 April 1992,[1]the day after theGeneral Electionwhich re-electedJohn Majorfrom theConservative Partyas Prime Minister.[2]The one-ton bomb – concealed in a van and consisting of a fertiliser device wrapped with a detonation cord made from 100 lb (45 kg) ofsemtex– was the biggest bomb detonated on mainland Britain sinceWorld War II.[3]The bombing killed three people, injured 91 others, and severely damaged theBaltic Exchangeand its surroundings.
Background
[edit]Since theProvisional Irish Republican Army's campaign in the early 1970s, many commercial targets were attacked in England which would cause economic damage and severe disruption. Since 1988,Gerry AdamsofSinn FéinandJohn Humeof theSocial Democratic and Labour Partyhad been engaged in private dialogue to create a broadIrish nationalistcoalition.[4]British Prime MinisterJohn Majorhad refused to openly enter into talks with Sinn Féin until the IRA declared a ceasefire. The risk of an IRA attack on theCity of Londonhad increased due to the lack of progress with political talks, resulting in a warning being circulated to all police forces in Britain highlighting intelligence reports of a possible attack, as it was felt the IRA had enough personnel, equipment and funds to launch a sustained campaign inEngland.Major won theGeneral Electionon 9 April 1992. The next day, the bombing occurred.[3]
Bombing
[edit]
On 10 April 1992 at 9:20 pm, a huge bomb was detonated in front of theBaltic Exchange buildingat 24–28 St Mary Axe. Thefaçadeof the offices was partially destroyed, and the rest of the building was extensively damaged. The bomb also caused heavy damage to surrounding buildings. It caused £800 million worth of damage (the equivalent of £2,060 million in 2024),[5]£200 million more than the total damage caused by the 10,000 explosions that had occurred duringthe TroublesinNorthern Irelandup to that point.[6]
The IRA gave a telephone warning twenty minutes before the explosion, saying there was a bomb inside a van outside theStock Exchange.This is half a mile away from the actual location by the Baltic Exchange.[7]
The homemade explosive was inside a whiteFord Transitvan parked in St Mary Axe. The components including the Libya-suppliedSemtex[8][9]were prepared inSouth Armagh,shipped from Ireland, and assembled in England. Behind their development wereRose Dugdaleand Jim Monaghan.[10]The attack was planned for months and marked an advance to the British of the IRA's explosives manufacture.[11]The bomb was described as the most powerful to hit London since theLuftwafferaids of World War II.[12]
A few hours later, another similarly large bombwent off in Staples Cornerin north London, also causing major damage.[13]
Victims
[edit]The bomb attack killed three people: Paul Butt, aged 29, who was passing in the street; Thomas Casey, 49, a Baltic Exchange attendant; and 15-year-old Danielle Carter, who was waiting in a car inSt Mary Axe(the London street). Another 91 people were injured.[14]
Aftermath
[edit]The next day, the IRA claimed responsibility in a statement fromDublin.It is believed the IRA were trying to send a message to theConservative Partywho won the election, which also sawSinn FéinleaderGerry Adamslose his unused seat in theWestminster Parliament.[15]
On 14 July 1992 anti-terrorist detectives believed they might have identified the bombers.[16]
Many of the damaged buildings were once again badly damaged by the1993 Bishopsgate bombingthe following year – both incidents contributed to the formation of theTraffic and Environmental Zone,the "Ring of Steel", in the City to protect it from further terrorism.[17]
The Exchange sold its badly damaged historic building to be redeveloped under the auspices ofEnglish Heritageas aGrade II*site. However, the City and English Heritage later allowed it to be demolished, seeking instead a new landmark tall building. The site, together with that of the Chamber of Shipping at 30–32 St Mary Axe, is now home to the skyscraper commissioned bySwiss Recommonly referred to asThe Gherkin.[18]
The stained glass windows ofFirst World Warmemorial in theBaltic Exchangesuffered damage in the bomb blast; they have been restored and are housed in theNational Maritime Museum.[19]
See also
[edit]- 1993 Bishopsgate bombing
- 1992 Staples Corner bombing
- 1992 London Bridge bombing
- 1992 Manchester bombing
- 1996 Manchester bombing
- Stoke Newington Road lorry bomb
- Provisional Irish Republican Army campaign 1969–1997
References
[edit]- ^Friday 9 March 2012 (9 March 2012)."Hiscox sponsors Baltic Exchange dinner – Felix Fund – The Bomb Disposal Charity".Felix Fund. Archived fromthe originalon 18 May 2018.Retrieved18 May2018.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^"Baltic Exchange bomb: London Remembers, Aiming to capture all memorials in London".Londonremembers. 4 October 1992.Retrieved17 May2018.
- ^ab"Scars from a bombing that won't heal | London Evening Standard".Standard.co.uk. 10 April 2002.Retrieved18 May2018.
- ^Taylor, Peter(1997).Provos The IRA & Sinn Féin.Bloomsbury Publishing.pp. 305–306.ISBN0-7475-3818-2.
- ^UKRetail Price Indexinflation figures are based on data fromClark, Gregory (2017)."The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)".MeasuringWorth.Retrieved7 May2024.
- ^De Baróid, Ciarán (2000).Ballymurphy And The Irish War.Pluto Press.p. 325.ISBN0-7453-1509-7.
- ^"Explosion rocks London's financial center – UPI Archives".Upi.Retrieved18 May2018.
- ^"Government support for UK victims of IRA attacks that used Gaddafi-supplied Semtex and weapons".parliament.uk.9 April 2019.
- ^"Report on compensation for Gaddafi-backed IRA attack victims to be focus of Committee session".committees.parliament.uk/.22 March 2021.
- ^O'Hagan, Sean (10 March 2024)."The Enigma of Rose Dugdale: what drove a former debutante to become Britain and Ireland's most wanted terrorist?".The Observer.Archivedfrom the original on 10 March 2024.Retrieved10 March2024.
- ^Oppenheimer, A. R. (16 October 2008).IRA, The Bombs and the Bullets: A History of Deadly Ingenuity – A. R. Oppenheimer – Google Books.ISBN9781788550185.Retrieved18 May2018.
- ^Schmidt, William E. (14 April 1992)."Dazed But Alive, Londoners Return – The New York Times".The New York Times.Retrieved18 May2018.
- ^Kirby, Terry (14 July 1992)."IRA City bombers identified by police".The Independent.Retrieved28 April2018.
- ^Oppenheimer, A. R. (2009).IRA: The Bombs and The Bullets. A History of Deadly Ingenuity.Irish Academic Press. p. 124.ISBN978-0-7165-2895-1.
- ^"IRA claims it planted bomb that killed three – UPI Archives".Upi.Retrieved18 May2018.
- ^Terry Kirby (14 July 1992)."IRA City bombers identified by police".The Independent.Retrieved18 May2018.
- ^"'Ring of steel' widened ".BBC. 18 December 2003.Retrieved31 May2018.
- ^"'Gherkin' challenger gives way ".The Telegraph. 14 October 2000.Retrieved16 January2016.
- ^"Baltic Exchange Memorial Glass".National Maritime Museum.Retrieved16 January2016.
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