Proxy Bomb
Encyclopedia
The proxy bomb was a tactic used by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) for a short time in the early 1990s, whereby members of the British
security forces or British Army
employees were forced to drive car bombs into British military targets, after taking their families as hostages. It has also been used in Colombia
by FARC rebels. The tactic has been compared to a suicide bomb, although each bomber in these cases is coerced rather than being a volunteer.
took the family of Patrick "Patsy" Gillespie hostage. Gillespie was a Catholic who worked as a cook for the British Army
and so was seen by the IRA as a collaborator and legitimate target.
The IRA forced him to drive a car loaded with 1000 pounds (453.6 kg) of explosives to the British Army checkpoint at Coshquin, County Londonderry
, on the border between Northern Ireland
and the Republic of Ireland
. When he arrived at the checkpoint the bomb was detonated by remote control, killing Gillespie and five soldiers from the Kings Regiment.
At Gillespie's funeral Bishop Edward Daly
said the IRA and its supporters were "...the complete contradiction of Christianity. They may say they are followers of Christ. Some of them may even still engage in the hypocrisy of coming to church, but their lives and their works proclaim clearly that they follow Satan."
man, James McEvoy, was forced to drive a bomb into a British Army checkpoint outside Newry
. He managed to jump clear at the last moment, suffering a broken leg, but Ranger Cyril J. Smith QGM, aged 21 from B. Coy. 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rangers
, was killed and thirteen were injured. Smith was posthumously awarded the QGM as he attempted to warn his colleagues about the bomb rather than running for cover. Cyril Smith was Catholic and originally from Northern Ireland.
In another attack on Lisanelly Army base in Omagh
, the proxy bomber was strapped into the car to keep him from escaping, while his wife and children were held hostage. However, the bomb failed to explode.
There were a few more attacks like these in the following month, the last one being a failed attempt to destroy a checkpoint at Rosslea
, County Fermanagh
, on 21 December. The same checkpoint was the subject of a heavy machine gun attack a week later, on 26 December. Another proxy bomb wrecked a UDR base in Magherafelt
, County Londonderry
, in early February 1991, but there were no fatalities. The proxy bomb tactic caused some outrage in both the unionist and nationalist communities. In spite of this, there were a few more attacks before the tactic was stopped. The final IRA use of proxy bombs came on 24 April 1993, when they forced two London
taxi drivers to drive bombs towards Downing Street
and New Scotland Yard. There were no casualties, however, as the drivers managed to shout warnings and to abandon their cars in time. A conventionally delivered bomb was detonated by the IRA
on the same day in the financial centre of Bishopsgate
in central London.
, "as an operation calculated to undermine the IRA's armed struggle, alienate even its most loyal supporters and damage Sinn Féin politically, it had no equal."
Moloney has suggested that the tactic may have been calculated to weaken the position of alleged "hawks" in republicanism—those who favoured armed action over electoral politics. At the same time Moloney argues that the widespread public revulsion would have strengthened the position of those in the IRA such as Gerry Adams
who were considering how republicanism could abandon violence and focus on electoral politics. Peter Taylor
wrote of the proxy bombs that, by such actions and the revulsion they caused in the community, the IRA inadvertently strengthened the hand of those within the republican movement who argued that an alternative to armed struggle had to be found.
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) for a short time in the early 1990s, whereby members of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
security forces or British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
employees were forced to drive car bombs into British military targets, after taking their families as hostages. It has also been used in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
by FARC rebels. The tactic has been compared to a suicide bomb, although each bomber in these cases is coerced rather than being a volunteer.
First proxy bomb
In the early hours of 24 October 1990 armed and masked IRA volunteersVolunteer (Irish republican)
Volunteer, often abbreviated Vol., is a term used by a number of Irish republican paramilitary organisations to describe their members. Among these have been the various forms of the Irish Republican Army and the Irish National Liberation Army...
took the family of Patrick "Patsy" Gillespie hostage. Gillespie was a Catholic who worked as a cook for the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and so was seen by the IRA as a collaborator and legitimate target.
The IRA forced him to drive a car loaded with 1000 pounds (453.6 kg) of explosives to the British Army checkpoint at Coshquin, County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, on the border between Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. When he arrived at the checkpoint the bomb was detonated by remote control, killing Gillespie and five soldiers from the Kings Regiment.
At Gillespie's funeral Bishop Edward Daly
Edward Daly (bishop)
Edward Daly , D.D., was the Catholic Lord Bishop of Derry from 1974 to 1993.- Early life & priestly ministry :...
said the IRA and its supporters were "...the complete contradiction of Christianity. They may say they are followers of Christ. Some of them may even still engage in the hypocrisy of coming to church, but their lives and their works proclaim clearly that they follow Satan."
Other proxy bombs
On the same day, there were two other proxy bomb attacks in Northern Ireland. In one, a 65-year-old ex-UDRUDR
UDR may refer to:*Ulster Defence Regiment*União Democrática Ruralista , a Brazilian right-wing association of farmers*Union des Démocrates pour la République, French political party*Union for Democracy and the Republic , Chadian political party...
man, James McEvoy, was forced to drive a bomb into a British Army checkpoint outside Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
. He managed to jump clear at the last moment, suffering a broken leg, but Ranger Cyril J. Smith QGM, aged 21 from B. Coy. 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rangers
Royal Irish Rangers
The Royal Irish Rangers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army.-Creation:...
, was killed and thirteen were injured. Smith was posthumously awarded the QGM as he attempted to warn his colleagues about the bomb rather than running for cover. Cyril Smith was Catholic and originally from Northern Ireland.
In another attack on Lisanelly Army base in Omagh
Omagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
, the proxy bomber was strapped into the car to keep him from escaping, while his wife and children were held hostage. However, the bomb failed to explode.
There were a few more attacks like these in the following month, the last one being a failed attempt to destroy a checkpoint at Rosslea
Rosslea
Rosslea or Roslea is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, near the border with County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. It stands on the River Finn and is beset by small natural lakes. Roslea Forest is nearby...
, County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, on 21 December. The same checkpoint was the subject of a heavy machine gun attack a week later, on 26 December. Another proxy bomb wrecked a UDR base in Magherafelt
Magherafelt
Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area...
, County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, in early February 1991, but there were no fatalities. The proxy bomb tactic caused some outrage in both the unionist and nationalist communities. In spite of this, there were a few more attacks before the tactic was stopped. The final IRA use of proxy bombs came on 24 April 1993, when they forced two London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
taxi drivers to drive bombs towards Downing Street
Downing Street
Downing Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
and New Scotland Yard. There were no casualties, however, as the drivers managed to shout warnings and to abandon their cars in time. A conventionally delivered bomb was detonated by the IRA
1993 Bishopsgate bombing
The Bishopsgate bombing occurred on 24 April 1993, when the Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a truck bomb in London's financial district in Bishopsgate, City of London, England. One person was killed in the explosion and 44 injured, and damage initially estimated at £1 billion was caused...
on the same day in the financial centre of Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate is a road and ward in the northeast part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in London Wall...
in central London.
Effect of the tactic
Overall the proxy bomb tactic had the result of discrediting the IRA's campaign in the eyes of republicans and the nationalist community. According to journalist and author Ed MoloneyEd Moloney
Ed Moloney is an Irish journalist and author best known for his coverage of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and particularly the activities of the Provisional IRA. Ed worked for the Hibernia magazine and Magill before going on to serve as Northern Ireland editor for The Irish Times and...
, "as an operation calculated to undermine the IRA's armed struggle, alienate even its most loyal supporters and damage Sinn Féin politically, it had no equal."
Moloney has suggested that the tactic may have been calculated to weaken the position of alleged "hawks" in republicanism—those who favoured armed action over electoral politics. At the same time Moloney argues that the widespread public revulsion would have strengthened the position of those in the IRA such as Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
who were considering how republicanism could abandon violence and focus on electoral politics. Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor (Journalist)
Peter Taylor born in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire is a British journalist and documentary-maker who had covered for many years the political and armed conflict in Northern Ireland, widely known as the Troubles...
wrote of the proxy bombs that, by such actions and the revulsion they caused in the community, the IRA inadvertently strengthened the hand of those within the republican movement who argued that an alternative to armed struggle had to be found.
Sources
- Ed MoloneyEd MoloneyEd Moloney is an Irish journalist and author best known for his coverage of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and particularly the activities of the Provisional IRA. Ed worked for the Hibernia magazine and Magill before going on to serve as Northern Ireland editor for The Irish Times and...
, A Secret History of the IRA - Brendan O'BrienBrendan O'Brien (Irish journalist)Brendan O'Brien is a senior Irish journalist on RTÉ One's Prime Time current affairs programme.In 1983, O'Brien won a Jacob's Award for his reporting on the RTÉ current affairs programme, Today Tonight....
, The Long War, the IRA and Sinn Féin