Pub Bombings revisited.
I said after writing my second story on The Birmingham Pub bombings that because of a young girl I sat next to in the Burns unit at Bath Row, I was too ashamed to write further on the subject...
I realise now that such a stance is silly, I can turn to anyone here and read one of their postings which are in many cases far worse than anything I've experienced, so here it is then, an insight into a survivor of one of Birminghams worst nights.
First of all, whenever I say I was actually in there, peoples' usual response is, 'You must have been very frightened'
Well, no, I wasn't, there was actually nothing to fear at all, Just imagine you're reading this right now, then imagine the next minute you are lying on the ground in rubble...where's the fear? there is none, fear comes with anticipation, The Tavern went up that quickly, we had no time for fear and straight after that, there is only shock and pain.
Trust me on this, there is no greater overriding urge than survival, all you want to do is get up and get out...and thats how it was for me. but fear? no...
A friend of mine who was in there that night said she saw a bright red light,
I can't say I did myself, another saw a bright white light and then said all the glasses seemed to shift slightly then crystalize, I cant say I saw that one either.
I was actually blinking at the time which left me with 'Panda eyes', this meant my eyes and the surrounding area stayed my natural skin colour while all the rest of my face was burned red, plus all my hair burned off.
I've been back down the Tavern many times, the people that were in there that night still call it that, to us, it will always be 'The Tavern in the Town'
I remember the pictures they put in the Evening Mail and other such papers, there were people with bandaged faces, those with dressings on their legs and arms...I personally have two friends who carry no obvious wounds but even today are injured..
My one friend talks about it every single day...every single day....just imagine his mind...
My other friend is a near recluse..and this from being one of the most sociable men I knew.
The Pub Bombings gave my Dad his first heart attack, the start of a chain that eventually killed him.
On another note I met many good friends in the Tavern
I also fell in love with my wife there.
Roz had the guides cut to her left hand, she also suffered a broken nose and a deep cut to her wrist.
Cosmetic surgery took care of her facial scars but the one on her wrist still troubles her.
Ohh...and if she reads this, She is the best thing that's ever happened to me, I mean it, I love her very much.
I carry only one legacy over from those days and it's this,
People think it cant happen to them...I know different, I know it can, for it did
And even today, 30 years later, I can't stay in a place where there is an unattended bag or parcel...thats what it did to me, and that, is my story of the Tavern.
The old Tavern Pub,
Taught me to sing a love song
It showed me how to laugh and how to cry
It introduced me to some friends of mine,
And brightened up some days,
And helped me make it through some lonely nights
What a friend to have on a cold and lonely night.
The old Tavern Pub,
Gave me lovely lady
It opened up her eyes and ears to me,
It brought us close together and I guess it broke her heart
It opened up, a space for us to be,
What a lovely place and lovely space to be.
The old Tavern pub,
Nearly ended my life, my living
And all the things you know, I love to do
To serenade the stars that shine
On a sunny mountainside
But most of all, to sings my songs for you,
Yes I do you know.......
I love to sing my songs for you.