On Saturday 13 December 1884 two American-Irish Republicans carried out a dynamite attack on London Bridge as part of the Fenian dynamite campaign. The bomb went off prematurely while the men were in a boat attaching it to a bridge pier at 5.45 pm during the evening rush hour. There was little damage to the bridge, and no casualties other than the bombers, who died instantly. However, there was considerable collateral damage and "hundreds of windows were shattered" on both banks of the Thames. The men's boat was so completely destroyed the police initially thought the bombers had fled.
The front-page of the Illustrated London News on 20 December 1884 featured a full-page illustration depicting the flash of the explosion from under the bridge as seen by witnesses. On 25 December the discovery was made of the mutilated remains of one of the bombers. The body of the other man was never recovered, but the police were later able to identify the dead men as two Americans, William Mackey Lomasney and John Fleming. The men were identified after a landlord reported to police that dynamite had been found in the rented premises of two American gentlemen who had disappeared after 13 December, enabling police to piece together who was responsible for the attack. The men had already been under surveillance by the police in America and in Britain. While most accounts claim that there were three men killed, a Fenian History website reports only two deaths.
References
- Seán McConville, Irish Political Prisoners, 1848–1922: Theatres of War, 2003 p.353 0415219914: "At 5.45 pm. on Saturday, 13 December 1884, amidst the bustle of the evening rush-hour, there was an explosion at the southwest end of London Bridge. There was little damage to the bridge, and its structure remained sound; windows a considerable distance away ... This comprised three or four men, equipped with a large amount of dynamite and the requisite detonators. Their first attack, on 2 January 1885, was another Underground explosion, just outside Gower Street Station."
- 'Dynamite at London Bridge', Illustrated London News, 20 December 1884, p.606.
- Joseph McKenna, The Irish-American Dynamite Campaign: A History, 1881–1896.
- Fenian Grave Luke Dillon 1850-1936
51°30′26.84″N 0°5′17.26″W / 51.5074556°N 0.0881278°W / 51.5074556; -0.0881278
Categories:- History of the London Borough of Southwark
- 1884 in London
- Improvised explosive device bombings in London
- Attacks on buildings and structures in London
- Bridge bombings
- Bridge disasters caused by terrorism
- Failed terrorist attempts in the United Kingdom
- December 1884 events
- 1884 crimes in the United Kingdom
- 1880s crimes in London