Horrors of Troubles told by ex-soldier

A Conservative MP and former British Army officer has relived the horror of a Northern Ireland bombing, describing the atrocity as “probably the worst thing to happen” in his life.

Paramilitary group the Irish National Liberation Army was responsible for one of the largest death tolls of the Troubles in 1982.

They detonated a bomb at the Droppin’ Well pub in Ballykelly, Co Londonderry, on December 6 – killing 17 people, including 11 soldiers and six civilians.

Former Colonel Bob Stewart, who was the incident commander at the scene, said his troops from A Company the 1st Battalion the Cheshire Regiment were “blown to bits”.

Losing six of his men that night, the member for Beckenham, south east London, told of how the bar was somewhere young people and off-duty soldiers often went to.

Arriving at the scene shortly after the explosion at around 11pm, he said: “I held a girl, who I think was a Catholic, as she died. She had lost both legs and an arm – she was 18.”

Describing the aftermath and dealing with the bodies in the wake of the blast, Mr Stewart, 70, said some of them “were just like joints of meat”.

He was speaking ahead of the anniversary of Operation Banner – with August 14 marking the date British troops deployed on to the streets of Northern Ireland some five decades ago.

The military campaign, which ran until July 2007, was in response to growing sectarian unrest.

Between the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, Mr Stewart undertook seven tours of Northern Ireland. Asked if there is a moment which has stuck with him the most, he said it was the Ballykelly bombing.

The Droppin’ Well bar and disco in Ballykelly.