That time I was mistaken for the ‘Brighton Bomber’

Thirty-four years ago a bomb went off in the Grand Brighton Hotel in the UK, targeting the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and members of the Conservative Party who were holding their annual conference. Thatcher escaped injury, but five people were killed, including party members.

The bomb was placed the week prior to the conference. And this is when seven South African journalists, me included, became implicated. We represented mainstream South African newspapers, and were guests of British Air (BA) as part of the launch of its Rand Saver promotion.

The notorious Irish Republican Army (IRA) activist Patrick Magee had also booked into the hotel – under a pseudonym. He was likely glugging with us in the pub on the Friday when the bomb was placed. Evidently it was then we became implicated in the subsequent investigation.

BA’s PR man asked whether we’d be interested in briefly visiting Belfast the next day. We agreed – after a few more glugs.

It was seven weary fellas boarding the Trident at Gatwick Airport at five in the morning. But the weariness soon wore off when traversing the infamous Falls Road and listening to the PR man’s graphic account of how the road was connected to “the troubles” that were still part of the scenario during our visit.

Uniforms brandishing rifles strode along the side of the road into Belfast. Fortunately it was incident free while visiting the Grand Opera House, et al. Our itinerary included a pub crawl with the warning we must watch what we say when raising glasses with the locals, many staunch IRA supporters and activists among them. For some reason we were enthusiastically accepted as “a bit of all right” – probably thanks to the free flowing Guinness.

That evening we returned to our hotel in Brighton.

After three weeks back home we were visited individually by Interpol and were put through a sweaty third degree session. What were we doing at the hotel (when the bomb was placed)? Why the sudden visit to Belfast? What were our movements and who did we meet and speak to? Were we sympathetic to the IRA?

Luckily, Magee confessed soon after, leaving the innocent seven sighing with relief.

Cliff Buchler.

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