Harrods Bombing - 1983 Bombing

1983 Bombing

The bomb contained between 25 and 30 lb (14 kg) of explosives and was left in a 1972 blue Austin 1300 GT four door saloon with a black vinyl roof, registration KFP 252K. It was parked outside the side entrance of Harrods, on Hans Crescent, and set to be detonated by a timer.

At 12:44, a man using an IRA codeword phoned the central London branch of the Samaritans. The caller said there were bombs inside and outside Harrods, specifying the registration number of the car, but not its make or colour. At about 13:21, four police officers in a car, a dog handler, and an officer on foot approached the car when the bomb went off. The police car absorbed much of the blast, probably reducing other casualties. Six people were killed; three passers-by (including one citizen of the United States), and three Metropolitan Police officers.

Those killed were: Philip Geddes (journalist, 24); Kenneth Salvesen (28); Jasmine Cochrane-Patrick (25); Police Sergeant Noel Lane (28); and Police Constable Jane Arbuthnot (22). Police Inspector Stephen Dodd (34) was mortally injured and died on 24 December. Police Constable Jon Gordon survived, but lost both legs and part of a hand in the blast.

At the time of the first explosion, a second warning call was made by the IRA. The caller stated that a bomb had been left in the C&A department store on the east side of Oxford Street. Police cleared the area and cordoned it off but this claim was found to be false.