MERVYN BURTCH - Spirit of Conflict

[COMPUTER REALISATION] - Score & audio

SPIRIT OF CONFLICT

At 8.20am on the morning of Friday 22 September 1989 a large IRA bomb exploded in the North Barracks at Deal, killing eleven young bandsmen and wounding several others. The explosion was heard two miles in the centre of the town of Deal in Kent.

The people of Deal reacted instantly: on Saturday morning, hundreds of people queued up outside the drill hall for up to four hours to donate blood for the injured bandsmen.

On 2 May 1993 a memorial bandstand was erected by public subscription on Walmer Green in front of the Royal Marines Association Club in the town.
The names of the ten bandsmen killed in the explosion that day and the musician who died of his injuries in October are recorded on plaques on the Memorial Bandstand.

This work was commissioned by the National Youth Brass Band of Wales in memory of Richard Fice, one of the band's former members. He was 22 years old when he was killed in the bombing at Deal.
©Peter Denton