1884 London Bridge attack

April 2022 thumb|right|Illustration by W. H. Overend, Illustrated London News, 20 December 1884 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.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." 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.'Dynamite at London Bridge', Illustrated London News, 20 December 1884, p.606. 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.Joseph McKenna, The Irish-American Dynamite Campaign: A History, 1881–1896. While most accounts claim that there were three men killed, a Fenian History website reports only two deaths.this event not mentioned October 2026Fenian Grave Luke Dillon 1850-1936 References 51 30 26.84 N 0 5 17.26 W scale:3125_region:GB title Category:History of the London Borough of Southwark Category:1884 in London Category:Improvised explosive device bombings in London Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in London Category:Bridge bombings Category:Bridge disasters caused by terrorism Category:Failed terrorist attempts in the United Kingdom Category:December 1884 in the United Kingdom Category:1884 crimes in the United Kingdom Category:1880s crimes in London