Attack on Downing Street

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On February the 7th, 1991, the Provisional IRA mounted a Mortar attack on No 10 Downing Street.
The original plan was to assassinate Margaret Thatcher but, by the time PIRA had planned and set up the attack, she had resigned and the Premiership had passed to John Major. PIRA decided to godhead with the attack regardless. The PM was meeting with his War Cabinet to discuss the Gulf War when at 10.08 the attack went in.

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49 thoughts on “Attack on Downing Street”

  4. I was in MOD that day – we were locked down for hours. Bloody loud bangs.

    I seem to recall hearing that the small amount of snow on the ground made it impossible for the driver of the van to see the marks that had been left showing him exactly where to park in order to hit No10. In the event, they were astonishingly accurate.

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  5. There's far more than meets the eye on this issue – I had an Irish friend framed by the security services and ending up in the Kesh for refusing to work for the security services (as but a youth). I could go on with all kinds of info but the idea is not to stir up any tensions. But the irony is that the IRA's more or less political wing Sinn Fein is totally pro the mass immigration causing all manner of division, crime and social issues across Ireland. Why they pretended to fight for their country only to give it away is beyond me. Though of course a number of them got wealthy from political gaming and quiet association with criminality – part of which had funded the violence, hence the connection. Thatcher was telling the world she would not ever negotiate with terrorists, lying through her teeth of course. I'm sure most people are aware that various political factions are uniting in the wish to remove what is perceived as the 'common enemy' – poorly or wholly non-vetted people, many of whom are criminals and n'er do wells who are abusing a system set up to help the genuinely desperate, the more so at a time when housing is in desperately short supply in Ireland. You couldn't make it up. Anyway, best wishes to our Irish cousins who we've put through hell down the ages and who remain yet hospitable and kind. And good luck to those trying to preserve their excellent culture.

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  12. Thank you for your wonderful chats.

    My Secondary Modern School (Alderman Catleugh) in sleepy Kings Lynn had 6 hoax bombs scares in the 70s. Scary first time but became very blasé towards the end almost disappointed when the bomb squad gave the all clear and we came off the playing field and back to lessons. Watching the Bomb Squads search operation was far more interesting than RE and probably taught me a lot more about being organised and methodical 😅👍

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  13. The IRA werent averse to civilian deaths at all. It was possible that American tourists could have been killed and that would have a severe knock on effect to their funding in the US. That didnt stop them in the City of London of course, but theres less tourists there, so the risk was acceptable.

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  23. As a Hun, I always wondered: Do the Brits observe the 5th of November to celebrate that parliament did not get blown up or to remind parliament that this is still an option?

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  24. Can remember the Caterham Arms bombing, just about, but the lasting impact on the town afterwards are clearer memories.
    Army payday was always a twitchy time when the Guardsmen from the barracks used to come into Lloyds Bank to get some cash.
    All gone now, both the bank and the barracks, the latter is a Tesco.

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  27. May I suggest you do a video on the Official IRA, and the Provincial IRA.
    Most people in U.K. and Ireland do not know that both groups hated each other, and fought each other both sides taking loses.
    I also believe that in 1972 the OIRA came to the conclusion that could not win the conflict by the armalite, and the bomb, and so decided to use peaceful means to get into power by the ballot box.
    This took PIRA over thirty years to come to the same conclusion, by then hundreds more dead, ten thousands injured, and Northern Ireland industry nearly destroyed ( ship building, textiles, aircraft manufacturing)

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  29. I was there serving over that period. We were all exhausted. The rioting was horrendous it was everywhere. The politicians left us in the shitte.

    And they abandoned us the the subversion of the judicial system by the IRA solicitors, Madden and Finnucane along with others.

    RUC officers told me that they would arrest people, Suspect they were IRA terrorist but where not sure. But when Madden and Finnucane turned up, that would confirm to them that they had an IRA player.

    The IRA subverted the system, they had their supporters infiltrated everywhere influencing everything, They used these people in the judicial system to get legal judgements made against the government and military out of political gain for the IRA.

    Lefties in the labour party, the media all conspired together to push the terrorist narrative. The government and so called loyalist politicians over here NEVER challenged the IRA supporters narrative. And they have got away with deluding our young of that time with a massive deceit.

    Doctors, Nurses, Dentists, dental receptionists, BT engineers, Bakers, Milkmen, solicitors, dole office administrators, Bus drivers. People from all walks of life provided support and information to republican terrorists. Which resulted in the murder of a person

    NOT ONE OF THEM WAS EVER BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURTS YET WE KNEW EXACTLY WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

    One person working at the dole office in Lisburn was marking the documents that related to former RUC officers, udr members, soldiers, Prison officers. The person was collecting the details of where these people lived and giving it to the IRA. We in the military knew FOR ABSOLUTE CERTAIN.

    That this person gave the address of a former security force member to the IRA and as a Result that person was murdered. The person who worked at the dole office NEVER FACED A COURT.

    There is a lot that we that served know. That the public should know. So that the TRUTH should be known and NOT THE TERRORIST SHINNER NARRATIVE, Which is a pack of deceit and lies

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  30. We must be the only country that could have a terrorist sitting in jail and on hunger strike and allowed to stand as an MP and win.
    We do have some stupid rules and laws.
    I remember the mortar attack.
    I do miss Lady Thatcher.
    She was brilliant.
    I went to her funeral procession.

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  35. I remember these events very clearly, especially the bomb in Canary Wharf, I live in Ilford in Essex and I was visiting friends nearby on that Saturday, we were standing in my friends kitchen, now this can't be more than say six or seven miles as the crow flies from Canary Wharf, and we heard this tremendous booom! and the windows rattled with the concussion of the sound. Two minutes later we could hear sirens going down the North Circular road A406 as emergency vehicles rushed towards the A13 and we found out later on the radio of the bomb and realised what the sirens were for on the Saturday. I went to visit the area the following weekend I think it was and the devastation cause had to be seen to be believed. As it was a Saturday when the bombing occurred only few people were injured by flying glass. Has that happened on a weekday, thousands could have been killed or seriously injured. Trying times. Then Tony bloody Blair came in and gave in to the IRA and made them fucking saints.

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  37. Interesting bit of history – thankfully it is history now. Remember it well though. PIRA were certainly a wily, innovative and determined opponent, despite being largely amateurs. Over the years they became far more technically sophisticated as well as more competent in running ops. The later bombings like Manchester and Canary Wharf were a world away from the early 70s attacks like Guildford and Birmingham. Maybe the most visible impact though – apart from not being able to wear uniform in public – was never being able to find a bin in a railway station.

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  39. A couple of my BT engineers (Tony & Richard(ex RAF)) were due to work in Westminster that day. They were driving down White Hall when they noticed a van on fire. The next thing they knew, police were flagging them down and ordering them to turn around.

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  40. I worked at the place where they made the false door and reinforced windows for Number 10 after the attack
    They worked on them round the clock to get them done I remember

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  41. I was working in and around N.London at the time, on my bike and I have a distinct memory of passing over an overpass and seeing a yard with a white Tranny with a hole cut in the roof. "Oh, that's nice, must be fitting a sunroof," I thought.
    It only later dawned on me what it miight have been, but I couldn't recall exactly where, it was just one of those moments.

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  42. I recall very vaguely the incident at 10 Downing Street. What I do recall is being on Guard Duty at Gibraltar Barracks while on my driving course the same year. As was my right during my rest time, I slept. There was a Red Alert due to a potential IRA threat and everyone was called out on parade for a briefing. Nobody woke me up. At some point I sensed that the room was empty and woke up to discover no-one there. I ambled out, rubbing my eyes. The Provost Sgt, a 9 Para, was briefing everyone and he took one look at me and said "Right, Cpl, beast 'im!"
    Moments later I found myself in the small quadrangle behind the Guard Room with an Artillery shell above my head being yelled at while running around. I thought to myself that I had done nothing to deserve this and my conscience got to me. I stopped and gently placed the shell on the floor in front of me. The Cpl's eyes almost popped out of his head.
    "What the f*uck do you think you're doin'?"
    "I'm not doin 'it"
    "DO IIIIIIIIIIIIT!"
    "No"
    I heard giggles and sniggers coming from the other side of the Guard Room.
    "DO IIIIIIIIIIIIT!"
    I sighed and said softly
    "No"
    "You better f*ckin' do it!"
    "Look, I'm not doin' it"
    "Right, stay there, you!"
    I couldn't go anywhere anyway, so I stood there and heard him say to the Provost Sgt "He won't f*ckin' do it!"
    "Right Cpl, bung 'im in jail!"
    After reading my rights, I slept the whole night by a lovely warm radiator in the cell while the others stagged on in mid Winter. In the morning I was let go and the Cpl was not happy with me but I looked at him as if to say "Well, what do you expect?"
    Later that day I was called to the office of the SSM 56 MT Trg Sqn Church Crookham.
    "Well done, Spr Lee! You did the right thing. You belong to me, you don't belong to them, I say what happens to you around here!"
    It was in his power to punish me and take things further, but he didn't do it, as anyone else in the Corp of Royal Engineers would have done. I have never forgotten his kindness to me and will always remain thankful for his fairness and good leadership. I wish I could find him and buy him a pint.

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  48. Very well articulated. They wisely keep this one on the quiet. I grew up watching this unfold on TV. The one I remember most vividly is the nail bomb in Soho. As a child, it's hard to imagine that there are people who would load a bomb with nails to cause maximum carnage and shrapnel wounds.
    Very important time in British history. Should not be forgotten. Security in a free and open society is very difficult. You can only be so secure.

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