- Kenneth Howorth
Kenneth Robert Howorth (b.
28 September 1932 , Littleborough,Rochdale ,Lancashire, England - d.26 October 1981 ,London ), a British Explosives Officer who was killed whilst attempting to defuse a bomb planted by theProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).Howorth served 23 years with the
Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) with postings toAustria ,Japan ,Tripoli ,Stonecutters Island inHong Kong plus variousUnited Kingdom bases. In 1973 he joined theMetropolitan Police as a civilian Explosives Officer. On26 October 1981 , he was killed while attempting to defuse a booby-trappedimprovised explosive device (IED) planted by the IRA in a Wimpy burger restaurant,Oxford Street , London. [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,922647,00.html]Time Magazine , Once More, Terror in the Streets]Howorth was survived by his wife, Ann (died
25 November 2003 ), his son, Steven and his daughter, Susan. In 1983, he was posthumously awarded theGeorge Medal .In 1985, IRA volunteers
Paul Kavanagh andThomas Quigley , both fromBelfast , were convicted of his murder (along with other attacks including theChelsea Barracks nail bomb in September 1981). Kavanagh and Quigley were released in 1999 under the terms of theGood Friday Agreement Fact|date=July 2007.References
*http://www.historybytheyard.co.uk/gallantry.htm
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