The Year London Blew Up
Timeline 1974-75
In 1974/5, London endured a 14-month bombing campaign by the Provisional IRA. Some 40 explosions rocked the capital, leaving 35 people dead and many more injured. The gang were also responsible for the pub bombings for which the Guildford Four were wrongly convicted. Their operations culminated in the Balcombe Street siege when a middle-aged couple were held at gunpoint for five days in their Marylebone council flat.
This timeline introduces the members of the IRA active service unit (ASU) and then gives a chilling day-by-day account of their campaign – from the Guildford bombs to the gunmen’s ultimate arrest and conviction.
- Provisional IRA London ASU
- August–December 1974
- January–June 1975
- August–November 1975
- Balcombe Street siege
