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Services mark 50th anniversary of pub bombings

Getty Images The remains of a pub after a bombing, showing blown out windows on the ground floor, hanging rafters and debris spilling into the street. An external wall sign saying Brew is just visible on a corner leading away from the main door. The pub's main sign lies on the floor in the foreground, broken so only some of the letters can be seen.Getty Images
The Mulberry Bush pub lay at the foot of the iconic Rotunda building in Birmingham

Memorial services are planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham pub bombings, in which 21 people died.

The bombs were detonated in the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town on New Street on the evening of 21 November 1974.

An inquest in 2019 heard 220 people were injured in the attacks, but the perpetrators have never faced justice.

A memorial will start next to New Street at 13:45 GMT on 21 November, with a service at St Phillip's Cathedral at 17:00.

Birmingham Inquests A composite featuring the faces of 20 people, with one face in silhouette. Six photos are in colour, the remainder black and white.Birmingham Inquests
Twenty one people were killed when bombs exploded in two Birmingham pubs on the evening of 21 November 1974

What will happen during the memorial services?

Those attending the first service will gather at the tree sculpture memorial to the victims just outside New Street Station.

The event is for invited guests only and not open to the general public.

Pupils from Bishop Challoner Catholic College have been working on a song which will be performed during proceedings.

The Birmingham Irish Association has also invited everyone to pause for a minute at 14:00 to remember the dead.

The later service at the cathedral is open to all and will feature prayers and hymns, led by the Bishop and Archbishop of Birmingham.

It will also be streamed online and on a screen outside.

PA Media A stone plinth located outside in a tree-lined square, with a gold-rimmed black plaque that features 21 names in gold lettering. The general public can be seen on the right walking past the sign.PA Media
A memorial for the victims is located in St Philip's Cathedral square in Birmingham

Who died in the Birmingham pub bombings?

Seven women and 14 men died in the atrocity.

The names of the deceased are Michael Beasley, Lynn Bennett, Stanley Bodman, James Caddick, Thomas Chaytor, James Craig, Paul Davies, Jane Davis, Charles Grey, Maxine Hambleton, Anne Hayes, John "Cliff" Jones, Neil Marsh, Marilyn Nash, Pamela Palmer, Desmond Reilly, Eugene Reilly, Maureen Roberts, John Rowlands, Trevor Thrupp and Stephen Whalley.

A BBC graphic reading "In Detail.. The Pub Bombings"

Who planted the Birmingham pub bombs?

Six innocent men were convicted of murder and jailed for life in 1975.

However, the evidence against the men, who came to be known as the Birmingham Six, was discredited over the years and they were freed on appeal in 1991.

While the IRA have never officially admitted responsibility, they are widely believed to be behind the attacks.

The 2019 inquest ruled the victims were unlawfully killed by the IRA, but did not determine the identities of those responsible.

West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford has said their investigation remained open and any fresh evidence would be looked at.

The Home Office has told the BBC the government would consider requests for a statutory public inquiry "as soon as possible".

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