Service to mark 50 years since Guildford pub bombings

(Clockwise from top left) Paul Craig, 21, Caroline Slater, 18, John Hunter, 17, William Forsyth, 18, and Ann Hamilton, 19, died at the Horse and Groom

A memorial service is to be held to mark the 50th anniversary of the Guildford pub bombings in which five people were killed and 65 injured.

The IRA detonated two bombs in town centre pubs on 5 October 1974 - the first exploded at the Horse and Groom, North Street, killing four soldiers and a civilian, while a second was set off 30 minutes later at the Seven Stars, on Swan Lane.

A service will be held at Holy Trinity Church on Sunday after a procession where families of those who died will be joined by civic leaders.

The service will be led by Canon Simon Butler, who said: “This is an important moment of commemoration and remembrance in the life of both the families of those who were killed and the wider Guildford community."

Those who died at the Horse and Groom were soldiers Ann Hamilton, 19, Caroline Slater, 18, William Forsyth, 18, and John Hunter, 17, as well as civilian Paul Craig, 21.

The so-called Guildford Four and Maguire Seven were wrongly convicted of the bombings and their sentences were later quashed.

An IRA cell later admitted responsibility, but no one has been convicted.

The damage at the Horse and Groom on North Street

The church service, which will be live streamed, starts at 11:00 BST.

Canon Butler said: "We are honoured to be able to host this special service which will both look back at the terrible events of that night, to honour those who died and those who continue to suffer as a result."

He said it would "provide an opportunity for our town, and the wider community of those affected, to dedicate ourselves to work together for peace, justice and reconciliation”.

The bomb damage at the Seven Stars

Sallie Barker, the mayor of Guildford, was an officer in the Territorial Army for nearly 20 years and a member of the Women's Royal Army Corps Association.

She said: "I understand how important it is to mark the 50th anniversary of the Guildford pub bombings."

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She added: "The 5 October 1974 is a sad day etched in the memories of those who lost loved ones or were caught up in the tragic events.

"This commemoration will provide space to pause and remember the five young people who died, the many injured, and the courageous work of the emergency services."

The memorial to the five people who died at the Horse and Groom

The Right Reverend Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford, said: "The Guildford pub bombings were one of the darkest days in the history of our town."

Earlier this year, police told the family of one of the victims that new evidence had emerged.

The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information, created by the last Conservative government, said it had accepted a request to look into the Guildford bombings.

The former Horse and Groom pub is now a furniture shop

The Guildford Four - Gerry Conlon, Paddy Armstrong, Paul Hill and Carole Richardson - served 15 years in jail.

Alastair Logan, a solicitor who represented them, said the victims' families "were completely forgotten".

He feared any fresh examination of the case and the chance of justice was "a dead duck".

He said his last surviving client Patrick Armstrong "feels very strongly that the real victims have been completely ignored by the authorities".

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