How a headteacher told his pupils about the Warrington bomb

In the aftermath of the horrific events of Saturday, March 20, 1993, the news of the deaths of the two boys had to be broken to residents across Warrington.

In many cases, this responsibility fell to schools throughout the town.

A memorial to Tim Parry and Johnathan Ball stands on Bridge Street (Image: Newsquest)

One headteacher, David Littlewood, has recalled the day that he was forced to tell the schoolchildren at St Barnabas Church of England Primary School about the tragic events.

David told the Warrington Guardian: "It was a dreadful and trying time. I was actually out of town at a meeting on the Wirral and heard of the event after getting back in my car to return home.

"I needed to be home and to discover if all my family were well. My wife, my elder daughter and my granddaughter were all in town that morning but had returned safely."

Casting his mind back to returning to school after that fateful weekend, the former headmaster said: "It was so hard to explain during worship on the following Monday morning.

IT was a day Warrington residents will never forget. 

"How I explained forgiveness to young children I don't remember, but I knew we had to do something after the years of terror.

"I did take some daffodils to the bombing site in Bridge St from those which were then growing on the school grounds. That seemed more personal than buying a bunch."

"As a school, we did a lot of work about forgiveness and I believe the bombing had a positive effect in hastening the Good Friday Agreement."

A number of schools across the town were chosen to help artists to create bronze memorial discs that are embedded within Bridge Street.

David said: "Quite how we were chosen to do one of the bronze discs I don't know.

"However, we were, and an artist came to the school to work on the design - all the discs were around leaves, trees and hope for the future.

"It was a way of demonstrating the future must be brighter whilst not forgetting those who had died or were severely injured.

"The result is, of course, in Bridge Street and lives on."

Tony Blair told the Warrington Guardian that the bombing was integral to the peace process in Ireland (Image: Newsquest)

A final thought from David surrounded the legacy of the bombing, and the response that the town had to it: "I would say it has to be that hope triumphs and most people are good and caring.

"I tried to emphasise that."

David taught at St Barnabas from 1978 until his retirement in 2001.

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