M62 coach bomb victims remembered

Photo: Oldham Chronicle

The M62 coach bombing

Hundreds of people, including relatives, friends and officials, attended a poignant memorial service and military guard of honour at Hartshead Moor service station on Sunday (7 February) in remembrance of the people killed in the IRA bomb attack on the M62 in 1974.

The M62 coach bomb was one of the most notorious terrorist atrocities in mainland Britain.

The blast tore the back off the army coach transporting soldiers and relatives to Catterick after weekend leave on 4 February 1974. Nine soldiers and three civilians died and another 50 passengers were seriously injured.

A memorial to those who died is installed at the entrance hall of Hartshead Moor service station, which was used as a first-aid station after the attack. There is now a larger memorial, set away from the foyer, following a campaign by relatives of the victims.