| Caterham Arms pub bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part ofthe Troubles | |
 The Caterham Arms in 2009 | |
 Interactive map of Caterham Arms pub bombing | |
| Location | 51°17′18″N0°05′54″W / 51.2882°N 0.0983°W /51.2882; -0.0983 Caterham,Surrey, England |
| Date | 27 August 1975 21:20 (GMT) |
Attack type | Time bomb |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 33 |
| Perpetrator | Provisional Irish Republican Army |
On 27 August 1975 aProvisional Irish Republican Armybombexploded without warning at the Caterham Armspublic house inCaterham,Surrey, England. There were no fatalities, but 33 people were injured, some severely, including three off-dutysoldiers who lost limbs.
In February 1975, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) agreed to aceasefire with theBritish government. The last IRA attack in England was in January 1975 when they planted seventime bombs in London.[1][2]
The IRA planted atime bomb in the Caterham Arms[3] public house[4] in Caterham, Surrey,[5] leaving a 7 lb (3.2 kg) bomb in aduffel bag under a seat. There was no warning and the bomb exploded at 9:20pm, injuring 23civilians and 10 off-duty soldiers. The pub was used by members of theWelsh Guards who were based at thebarracks nearby.[6] Some of the injuries were very serious,[7][8] with at least three soldiers losing limbs, including a male soldier, who lost both legs and one arm,[9] as well as two other soldiers who lost a leg each.[10][11]
This attack marked the start of a renewed bombing campaign in England[12] and the end of thetruce with the British government in England, in Ireland the truce was also starting to break with theSouth Armagh Brigade no longer recognizing the cease fire, having killed four British soldiers in July in alandmine attack in Forkhill, officially the truce lasted until January 1976.[13][14]
The next day on 28 August 1975, the IRAdetonated a bomb inOxford Street,Central London, injuring several people;[15] the following day on 29 August the IRA planted a booby-trap bomb in the doorway of a K-Shoes shop. Army bomb-disposal officerRoger Goad was killed while attempting to defuse the bomb.[16]
