'Girlfriend saved me from being in bombed pub'

In November 1974, Bernie Mintz was 18 years old and working as a chef in Birmingham.

On the evening of 21 November, bombs exploded in two city centre pubs, the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town, leaving 21 people dead and 220 injured.

That night, Mr Mintz, who now lives in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, had been tempted to grab a pint before heading home.

As his hand grabbed the door handle to enter the Tavern in the Town, he remembered his girlfriend had asked him to try and be home early.

"I heard my girlfriend's voice saying 'please come home to me tonight'. And I was guilt-ridden," he said.

He turned around and headed towards the bus stop.

As he stepped on the number 92 heading to Hall Green he remembers "a horrific bang that shook the floor".

The bus driver quickly closed the doors and he was on his way, unaware of what was happening around the corner.

Mr Mintz arrived home to a panicked family as they had seen news flashes on TV.

"They were delighted to see me," he said.

"If my girlfriend hadn't said that to me the night before, I'd have gone down for a pint and I'd be in that pub."

The couple have been married since 1981, and he credits her with "saving his life".

Another Warwickshire woman with memories of that night is Diane Slater from Rugby, who was just 16 years old on the night of the explosions.

She was enjoying new-found freedom having recently moved to the city for work.

That evening she met friends in the Mulberry Bush where they planned to grab a drink before "heading out into town".

Just after 20:00 GMT she recalls "a loud bang and blast of air" that plunged the pub into silence.

In the immediate moments following the explosion, Diane described how she felt very confused before realising "we need to get out of here".

She said it wasn't until she found her way through the rubble that she realised the extent of her injuries.

Diane still has a hole in her right knee, where muscle and ligament was destroyed and all her toes had to be sewn back onto her left foot.

Despite her injuries, she said: "We were all very lucky, our wounds were superficial. Others lost their lives."

She told how she had tears in her eyes as she relived the events of the night, and said the anniversary "brings back too many things that are traumatic".

After recovering at home with her parents, Diane did not shy away from returning to Birmingham.

"You've got to live a life, you've got to carry on," she added.

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