Plans submitted for memorial plaque at site of Birmingham pub bombings
Exclusive: families one step closer to getting permanent memorial on New Street to remember the 21 people killed and hundreds injured
Families of victims of the Birmingham pub bombings are a step closer to getting a permanent memorial at the site of the atrocity in the city centre.
50 years ago, on the 21st November 1974, the Mulberry Bush pub and the Tavern in the Town were bombed, leaving 21 people dead and 220 injured.
The pub bombings remain the largest unsolved mass murder in modern British history.
Working with victims' relatives, we designed and had made a plaque, to be installed on New Street, near to the site where the two bombs went off.
A planning application has been submitted to Birmingham City Council to install the plaque, and we await a decision.
"It's part of Birmingham's history"
Although there are several memorials in the city centre, including the one at St Philips Cathedral, and the tree sculpture outside New Street station, there is nothing at the site of the bombings to mark what happened.
Paul Bridgewater's dad, Paul Davies, died in the blast at the Mulberry Bush. He and his friend Neil Marsh had been walking past the pub, when the bomb exploded.
Paul told us: "It's part of Birmingham's history. When you've got a memorial or a plaque there, it makes people ask, 'what happened there?'"
"There should be something there on New Street that represents everyone. It should be there."
Julie Hambleton's sister Maxine was killed in the Tavern in the Town bombing. She leads the Justice4the21 campaign group, and worked with us to have the plaque made.
Julie said: "Memorials are so important because they are actually standing, real recognition of the 21 and the survivors.
"As far as remembering the 21 is concerned, that's why we fight. They're no longer here to fight, someone has to do it, because they deserve it."
Support for the plaque
Birmingham Yardley MP and Home Office minister Jess Phillips has long supported the families of the victims in their ongoing campaign for justice.
Giving her support for the memorial plaque at the site of the pub bombings, Ms Phillips said: "It isn't macabre to remember, it doesn't stop the progress of Birmingham for us to remember.
"It is a fundamental part of our history, it is in the fabric of the city. And for too long, people tried to look the other way and pretend it hadn't happened."
The Birmingham Irish Association were the leading force behind getting the tree memorial outside New Street station, which bears the names of each of the 21 victims.
Chief executive Maurice Malone has been helping us move forward plans for the plaque on New Street itself.
He said: "For people who walk down New Street, you wouldn't know where the location was. If people wanted to stop and pay their respects, they wouldn't know where they were.
"So a simple plaque, on the wall, remembering would be so beneficial to not only the families, but the city as well."
Our podcast series - No Justice: The Birmingham Pub Bombings at 50 - is available to listen to now.