WARRINGTON BOMBING - TEN YEARS ON

VICTIM | Three year old Jonathan Ball was murdered in the bombing

It's ten years since the IRA attacked Warrington and killed two children.

Inside Out looks back on the bombings and the resulting Post Traumatic Stress that is still being felt.

The death of two children in the Warrington bombings in 1993 caused outrage around the country. A decade on, the shockwaves from the attacks are still resonating.

June Tranter saved a 14 year old girl’s life following the blast. She tells of how Post Traumatic Stress made her feel, "I felt inadequate, useless and I lost my confidence in everything."

The beginning

The troubles in Warrington started on Thursday 25 February 1993.

Three IRA terrorists broke into a Warrington gas storage depot.

After planting Semtex bombs, the trio tried to escape and shot a patrolling police officer.

Most of their bombs failed to detonate, but one did blow up. Thankfully, nobody was injured.

The three IRA men were arrested and Warrington believed its brush with terrorism had passed. They were wrong.

Revenge

On Saturday 20 March 1993 another IRA unit took revenge on Warrington for the arrests three weeks earlier.

It was the day before Mothering Sunday and stores in Bridge Street were bustling with shoppers.

Two bombs, planted in waste bins, exploded within a minute of each other.

Fatal

Tim Parry died five days after the attacks

The bombs had fatal consequences. Fifty six people were treated for injuries.

But it was the murder of three year old Jonathan Ball (pictured above) and the death of 12 year old Tim Parry five days later that sickened the nation.

Wilf Ball, Jonathan's father tells how he is still grieving a decade on. He says, "It's hard not to be bitter. They took something away that you were living for."

"Sometimes I get a good day, sometimes I get a bad day."

Aftermath

Despite the biggest ever double murder hunt that Cheshire had seen, the bombers have never been caught.

The Peace Centre set up by the Parry and Ball families is the physical legacy of the bombings. The Children for Peace organisation enables young people to learn about reconciliation and conflict resolution.

Now, as part of a Government funded project, staff are trying to assess if Post Traumatic Stress counselling should also be available to the casualties of Warrington.

For many it will be unwelcome or unnecessary. But there are victims who've benefited.

June Tranter was having a bad time and talks of when she started counselling, "It was only then when I began to realise that it was all because of the bombing."

Support

June Tranter benefited from counselling

If you feel that you are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress related to the Warrington bombing, you can contact:

The Tim Parry Jonathan Ball Trust
Peace Drive
Great Sankey
Warrington
Cheshire
WA5 1HQ

Tel: 01925 581231
Fax: 01925 581233

If your Post Traumatic Stress is related to another incident, Victim Support can also provide details of trained medical professionals who are able to help. See our links section for details of their website.