Solved case · 1972
The short answer
A car bomb planted by the Official IRA exploded outside the officers' mess at the 16th Parachute Brigade headquarters in Aldershot, England, on 22 February 1972, killing six civilian staff and a Catholic army chaplain and wounding 19 others.
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Suggest coverage for 1972 Aldershot bombingOn 22 February 1972, a car bomb exploded at the headquarters of the British Army's 16th Parachute Brigade in Aldershot, England. The Official Irish Republican Army (Official IRA) claimed the attack as revenge for Bloody Sunday, which had occurred on 30 January 1972 when soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment shot 28 unarmed civilians during a civil rights march in Derry, killing fourteen. Elements of the 16th Parachute Brigade had been involved in the Bloody Sunday shootings, and the brigade's headquarters was targeted in response.
A hired Ford Cortina containing a 280-pound (130 kg) time bomb was left in the car park, positioned outside the officers' mess. Despite prior warnings, the base had no security or controlled access. The bomb detonated at 12:40 pm, destroying the officers' mess and damaging nearby office buildings. The soldiers who were the intended targets were not present, as the regiment was stationed abroad and most staff officers were in their offices rather than the mess at the time.
Six civilian staff and one army chaplain were killed: five female staff members leaving the premises, a gardener, and Father Gerard Weston, a Roman Catholic priest with the Royal Army Chaplains' Department. Those who died were identified as Weston (38), gardener John Haslar (58), Jill Mansfield (34), Thelma Bosley (44), Margaret Grant (32), Sheri Munton (20), and Joan Lunn (39). Nineteen people were wounded.
On 23 February, the Official IRA issued a statement claiming responsibility, saying civilian casualties were regretted as the intended target was officers responsible for events in Derry, and warning of further attacks on British Army regimental headquarters.
The bombing drew widespread criticism because it had mostly killed civilians, and this was believed to be among the factors that led the Official IRA's leadership to declare a ceasefire on 29 May 1972, stating it would only act in self-defence thereafter. It was the Official IRA's largest attack in Great Britain during the Troubles and one of its last major actions before that ceasefire.
In November 1972, following a 21-day trial at Winchester Crown Court, Noel Jenkinson, a 42-year-old transport manager and Official IRA member, was convicted for his part in the bombing and sentenced to life imprisonment, with the presiding judge recommending he serve at least 30 years. Finbar Kissane and Michael Duignan were convicted of complicity and sentenced to prison terms of 2 years and 2.5 years respectively. Evidence against Jenkinson was linked to his fraudulent hire, with Kissane, of the Ford Cortina used in the bombing, and to a case of gelignite found in his garden shed. Jenkinson died in HMP Leicester in 1976 of heart failure, having recently expressed support for the Provisional IRA, and was buried in Dublin.
The Irish Republican Army splits into the Official IRA and Provisional IRA.
Bloody Sunday: soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment shoot 28 unarmed civilians in Derry; 14 die.
A car bomb explodes outside the officers' mess at 16th Parachute Brigade headquarters in Aldershot, killing seven and wounding 19.
The Official IRA issues a statement claiming responsibility for the bombing.
The Official IRA's leadership declares a ceasefire, stating future attacks would only be in self-defence.
Noel Jenkinson is convicted at Winchester Crown Court and sentenced to life imprisonment; Finbar Kissane and Michael Duignan are convicted of complicity.
Noel Jenkinson dies in HMP Leicester of heart failure.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Roman Catholic army chaplain killed in the bombing[3]
Civilian staff member killed in the bombing[3]
Civilian staff member killed in the bombing[3]
Gardener killed in the bombing[3]
Civilian staff member killed in the bombing[3]
Civilian staff member killed in the bombing[3]
Civilian staff member killed in the bombing[3]
Convicted of complicity in the bombing; sentenced to 2 years[3]
Convicted of complicity in the bombing; sentenced to 2.5 years[3]
Official IRA member convicted of the bombing and sentenced to life imprisonment[3]
From the record
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