John Hunter

The Ira carried out attacks on the military in England before it bombed soldiers' pubs in Guildford where five people died, a history expert has said.

Prof Thomas Hennessey was giving evidence on The First day of a resumed inquest into the deaths in 1974.

He described how the Provisional IRA began bombing England in 1973 and how its campaign evolved over time.

Attacks before Guildford targeting the army included an explosion at Pirbright and the M62 coach bomb in 1974.

Counsel to the inquest Oliver Sanders QC asked The Academic to describe how in early 1973, The Ira Army Council authorised bombing in England and an 11-strong team was sent to England to deliver " a short, sharp shock".

Prof Hennessey said a bombing at the Old Bailey was carried out and The Court heard how The Attack on 8 March 1973 coincided with a Northern Ireland border poll.

Prof Hennessey told Surrey coroner Richard Travers there followed " several attacks on military targets including on individuals and clubs" before Guildford.

He Said The Ira 's objectives had included targets that were commercial, military, political and judicial.

Incidents grew in scale from the " opportunistic" detonation of a 1lb stick of gelignite at Pirbright army base in September 1973 to the M62 coach bomb on 4 February 1974 when nine soldiers, a wife and Two Children died, The Court heard.

Prof Hennessey said The Ira claimed it had warned soldiers' families they remained military targets.

The M62 coach bomb was The First significant attack in the 1973-75 campaign in terms of loss of life, Mr Sanders added.

The Court heard The First death in London and The South East was in an explosion at The Tower of London. After that attack, there was a lull before Guildford was bombed in a wave of attacks that was " more intense".

Earlier, Mr Travers opened the inquest with a " pen portrait" of each of The Victims , civilian Paul Craig , 21, and soldiers Ann Hamilton , 19, Caroline Slater, 18, William Forsyth , 18, and John Hunter , 17.

He Said a " poignant" feature of the bombings was that those who died were So Young .

Mr Travers said legal processes over The Years had focused on issues of Criminal Responsibility rather than the stories of those who lost their lives, leaving a " gap" in Surrey's historical record.

The Court heard the convictions of the Guildford Four - which were later Overturned - meant the original inquests were deemed unnecessary in the 1970s. The hearing was also told The Ira later claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The inquest, which is sitting without a jury, is, the wrongful convictions or the original police investigation.

It is looking at " preparedness for an attack of this kind" including what alerts were in place, events in The Horse and Groom pub, the actions of those who died, and the nature of The Bomb that exploded there.

The inquest, expected to run until mid-July at Woking Coroner's Court, continues.