Around about 20 days after arriving in Aldershot and starting basic training we had all gone for lunchtime scoff. Halfway through there was an almighty bang and our canteen shook and the windows rattled. All the new crows of which I was one shrugged our shoulders and carried scoffing and gassing. The training staff knew something was wrong and immediately started getting us out and on to the parade ground.
When we got outside we could see smoke rising behind our canteen block and there was a funny smell in the air.
The IRA had left a car bomb in the car park of the officers mess and it went off early demolishing the building and killing 7 innocent people, no officers were inside at the time. Of the 7 one was a military chaplain and the other six 2 cleaners, a gardener, a gardener, 2 mess workers and 1 waitress.
5 months from this incident I turned up and grew up very quickly at 19 in Belfast.
- 1972 Depot Aldershot
- Parachute Regiment