School students interview Brummies on pub bombings

BBC Midlands Today presenter Nick Owen visited the students to talk about his memories of covering the bombings

Secondary school students have been interviewing people about their memories of the Birmingham pub bombings, as part of a project to mark the tragedy's 50th anniversary.

Twenty-one people were killed and 220 were injured when bombs destroyed two pubs in the city, on 21 November 1974.

BBC Radio WM has been working with students at Bishop Challoner Catholic College, in Kings Heath, who are creating audio clips telling the story of the night.

Vice Principal Eddie O'Connor said it was important “for our young people to be very aware of what happened on that particular night, in Birmingham, in their city”.

He added: “It’s acknowledging our history, it’s learning from the past and ensuring we don’t repeat it.”

Vice Principal Eddie O'Connor said he was "exceptionally proud" of the students who were taking part

No-one has been convicted or admitted responsibility for the bombings, but it is believed the IRA was behind them.

Although six men - known as the Birmingham Six - were found guilty in 1975, their convictions were quashed in 1991.

Campaigners' calls for a public inquiry have intensified since a decision in 2023 not to bring criminal charges following a reinvestigation.

For Bishop Challoner Catholic College’s project, students have interviewed city residents who have visited the school to talk about their memories, including a nurse who was working on the night of the explosion.

Some students have also interviewed their own families about their memories, while BBC Midlands Today presenter Nick Owen visited the school to talk about what it was like to cover the bombings.

The students’ audio clips will be aired on BBC Radio WM in the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of the bombings later this month.

“I’m exceptionally proud, they’re absolutely incredible,” Mr O’Connor said of his students.