Telephone exchange bombings

On 17 December 1974, the Provisional Irish Republican Army's Balcombe Street Gang active service unit planted three time bombs at telephone exchanges in London, England. The bombs exploded in quick succession of each other, the second killing a civilian. They also injured five civilians as well as a police officer.

The first bomb went off at a GPO telephone exchange at New Compton Street in Soho. The bomb exploded shortly after an unknown woman with an Irish accent telephoned a warning to a local newspaper. Nobody was injured.[1]

The second bomb went off at a telephone exchange at Chenies Street near Tottenham Court Road. This blast killed civilian George Arthur (34) who worked as a post office telephonist. Two other people were injured in this bombing including a police officer and a civilian telephone worker.[2] Arthur was the first person the Balcombe Street unit killed since 11 November when they shot dead Alan Quatermaine.[3]

The third bomb went off at the telephone exchange at Draycott Avenue in Chelsea. It injured four civilians.[4][5]

After the bombings, Tom Jackson, who was the general secretary of the Union of Post Office Workers, said in a statement: “If the I.R.A. think they're going to bomb telephonists and postmen out of jobs, they are not going to do it.”

On 19 December, the BSG exploded a car bomb outside Selfridges department store on Oxford Street, causing £1.5 million worth of damage and injuring nine people.[6] On the 21 December, the BSG detonated a bomb in Harrods department store, which caused a large fire in the store and injured an employee.[7]

• Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1970–1979)

• Daily Mirror, 18 December 1974, Ian Cutler
• CAIN project
• api.parliament.uk - HANSARD 1803–2005 - Prevention of Terrorism Legislation
• Steve Moysey: The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London
• NY Times 18 December 1974 - BOMBS IN LONDON HIT PHONE OFFICES