When did the IRA Birmingham pub bombings happen, how many were killed and why’s there a new inquest?

THE 1974 Birmingham pub massacre carried out by the IRA killed 21 people and left more than 180 with life-changing injuries.

The aftermath of the bombings, one of the worst in Britain’s history, resulted in six men being wrongly jailed for life for the attacks.

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What were the Birmingham bombings?

On the night of November 21, 1974, two explosions ripped through two separate pubs in Birmingham, killing 21 and injuring 182 others.

A number of explosive devices had been placed around Birmingham, with one left at Mulberry Bush and a second at Tavern in the Town, both public houses on New Street, and a third outside a bank about two miles away.

Warning calls were then made to a number of newspapers, with the Birmingham Post receiving a call at 8.11pm warning a bomb had been planted at the Rotunda, the site of Mulberry Bush.

A similar call was made to the Birmingham Evening Mail newspaper.

The first device exploded at Mulberry Bush at 8.17pm, just six minutes after the warning call was phoned in.

The explosion ripped through the pub, blowing a crater measuring 40 inches into the concrete floor.

Ten people were killed instantly.

Victims were left trapped under the partially-collapsed roof with those passing by in the street also injured by glass from shattered windows.

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It is believed the bomb had been hidden inside a duffel bag or briefcase left near the rear entrance of the pub.

But as authorities desperately worked to help those left seriously injured and evacuate the area, a second explosion ripped through Tavern in the Town.

Nine people were injured, with another two later dying from their injuries.

A third, undetonated device was found outside Barclays Bank at 9.15pm.

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Who was responsible for the bombings?

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) has always denied responsibility for the attacks but have widely been blamed for the explosions.

In the calls made to warn authorities of the planted explosives, the code "double x" was mentioned - a phrase used by the IRA to alert authorities to the legitimacy of the threat.

While the IRA usually gave authorities about half an hour to respond to threats, it is believed that the phone box planned to be used to call in the threat had been vandalised - meaning the bomber had to travel to a phone box further away and therefore taking longer to alert authorities.

What is the new TV programme on the bombings?

The Hunt For The Birmingham Bombers is airing TONIGHT (October 1) on ITV at 10.45pm.

The real suspects have remained hidden for decades - but the programme will reveal what it claims are the prime suspects.

The ITV investigation names former British soldier James Francis Gavin and another man as the prime suspects for planting the bombs.

The other suspect has never before been publicly named.

Gavin has been named previously in connection with the bombings but not as a bomb-planter.

The men, who always proclaimed their innocence and were later released after an appeal, became known as the Birmingham Six.

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Who are the 'Birmingham Six'?

Six men were arrested over the bombings, Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Joseph Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker.

The six men were arrested soon after the explosions, with the men claiming to have undergone severe physical and psychological torture to extract confessions from them.

After a trial of 45 days in 1975, all six of the men were found guilty of 21 counts of murder.

The men had been tried alongside Michael Murray and Michael Sheehan, who were convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions and sentenced to nine years' jail.

Co-accused James Kelly was found not guilty of conspiracy to cause explosions, but guilty of the possession of explosives and sentenced to one year's imprisonment.

The Birmingham Six maintained their innocence throughout their trial and after their imprisonment, but had their appeals in 1976 dismissed.

A number of appeals and documentaries relating to the group's case were aired over the following years, raising questions over police methods to have the men confess.

But it wasn't until 1991 that the group were found not guilty of the charges with  Lord Justice Lloyd saying: "In the light of the fresh evidence which has been made available since the last hearing in this court, your appeals will be allowed and you are free to go."

They were released from jail on March 14, 1991.

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Who were the victims?

The families of the victims have been pushing for answers in the 40 years after the fatal bombing.

An original inquest began the day after the attacks and was halted when six men were found guilty.

But families have since spoken out and campaigned for answers with Julie Hambleton, whose 18-year-old sister Maxine died in the blasts, saying: “All we want is the truth.”

Serious questions have now been raised over the fatal bombings, with a fresh inquest now to be heard.

The new inquest was ordered into the bombings after "significant" new evidence about the blasts in crowded pubs on November 21, 1974, came to light.

It has been welcomed by the families of the victims after the initial inquest was suspended in 1975 after being overtaken by the criminal inquiry.

Senior coroner for Birmingham and Solihull Louise Hunt announced the decision after holding several review hearings and receiving “significant” new information about the double bombing on November 21, 1974.

She said that there were questions to be answered as to what warnings police had been given before the attack.

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What has been revealed at the 2019 inquest?

On March 22, 2019, an IRA bomber named the four men he claims were responsible for the 1974 bombings.

The man described only as Witness O told an inquest that the officer commanding the Birmingham IRA at the time was Seamus McLoughlan, and that he was responsible for selecting the targets.

Speaking over a secure video-link, the ex-IRA volunteer added that Mick Murray was "one of the bombers", and claimed he recalled Murray telling him there would be "no harm" if similar bombings had been repeated, because of the "chaos" caused.

Pressed by Lesley Thomas, the barrister representing nine of the bereaved families, that another member of the bombings team was Michael Hayes, he replied: "Hayes, Hayes - I'll give it (the name) to you now."

He added, in apparent reference to the Good Friday Agreement: "But he can't be arrested.

"There is nobody going to be charged with this atrocity. The British Government have signed an agreement with the IRA."

Then asked about "James Gavin", he replied: "Well he was (involved), I met him in Dublin and he said he was."

All the men have been named before in connection with the bombings, but not in a formal setting.

Witness O, who was in jail at the time of the bomb attacks, described the blasts as "an atrocity".

He also claimed he had given McLoughlan's name to two police detectives while in HMP Winson Green just days after the bombings, but heard nothing more.

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He added that two other men, who he identified as "Dublin Dave" and "Socks" had also been involved, but that he did not know either man's name.

The startling evidence comes after the inquest heard that the fatal blasts were "accidental deaths" in an "IRA operation that went badly wrong".

Former intelligence chief Kieran Conway told the inquest on March 21 that the attacks were "not sanctioned" by the IRA and public outrage at the attacks "nearly destroyed" the group.

He said that despite the IRA being "at war" with the British state at the time, civilian targets were "strictly and loudly forbidden".