Guernsey Press

Act of remembrance marks 35th anniversary of Poppy Day bomb in Enniskillen

Twelve people were killed by the blast during a Remembrance Service in the Co Fermanagh town in 1987.

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An act of remembrance has taken place in Co Fermanagh to mark the 35th anniversary of the Poppy Day bomb.

Enniskillen was devastated on November 8 1987 when a Provisional IRA bomb attack turned the annual Remembrance Sunday event into an atrocity.

A 12th victim, Ronnie Hill, died from his injuries after 13 years in a coma.

Relatives of those killed and members of the public gathered at 10.43am, the exact time of the explosion on November 8 1987, to remember their loved ones.

The event took place at a newly installed memorial in the town.

The children of Wesley and Bertha Armstrong, from left, Moyna Nesbitt, Stella Robinson, Julian Armstrong and Pamela Whitley, take part in an act of remembrance to mark the 35th anniversary of the Enniskillen bomb
The children of Wesley and Bertha Armstrong, from left, Moyna Nesbitt, Stella Robinson, Julian Armstrong and Pamela Whitley, take part in an act of remembrance to mark the 35th anniversary of the Enniskillen bomb (Liam McBurney/PA)

“My father loved his church, his church came first. My mother was very family-oriented, she was a great mum, like our best friend. We miss them, we really do,” she said.

“It’s important for future generations that they see what happened, and learn about what happened, that it won’t happen again.

“It’s a pain we carry with us all the time, and it never goes away.”

ULSTER Anniversary 1
The scene following the Enniskillen bomb blast, in Co Fermanagh, which claimed the lives of 11 people (PA)

Relatives of those killed have made a fresh appeal for anyone with information that could help the police investigation to come forward.

A remembrance service is scheduled to take placeat Enniskillen Presbyterian Church on Tuesday evening.

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