1988 Lisburn van bombing On 15 June 1988 an unmarked military van carrying six British Army soldiers was blown up by the Provisional Irish Republican Army ( IRA ) at Market Square in Lisburn , Northern Ireland . The explosion took place at the end of a charity marathon run in which the soldiers had participated . All six soldiers were killed in the attack - four outright , one on his way to hospital and another later on in hospital . Lisburn hosts the headquarters of the British Army in Northern Ireland . Four of the dead were from the Royal Corps of Signals regiment whilst the other two were from the Green Howards and Royal Army Ordnance Corps regiments respectively . A booby - trap bomb was hidden under the Ford Transit van in which the soldiers were travelling , and was designed in such a way that the blast had gone upwards to cause maximum damage to the vehicle . Eleven civilian bystanders were injured , including a two - year - old child and 80 - year - old man . The bombing is sometimes referred to as the Lisburn " Fun Run " bombing . Bombing . On Wednesday 15 June 1988 at 8 . 50 p . m . , an unmarked blue Ford Transit van carrying six off - duty British soldiers in civilian clothes drove off from a leisure centre carpark in Lisburn . The soldiers had just taken part in the " Lisburn Fun Run " , a 13 - mile charity half marathon held in the town . They had left the van unattended in the carpark , which was the start and finish point for the run . It was there that an IRA Active Service Unit ( ASU ) , who had been following the van , hid a booby - trap bomb underneath the vehicle . The half marathon and shorter " fun runs " were organised by Lisburn Borough Council , together with the YMCA , to raise funds for the handicapped . There were 4 , 500 participants that day and at least 200 Army personnel had been given leave to participate in the event . Nine minutes later , the van stopped at traffic lights at Market Square , in Lisburn ' s town centre . As the van moved on , the seven - pound booby - trap bomb detonated , turning the van into a massive fireball and instantly killing four of the soldiers as the vehicle disintegrated with the force of the blast . The Semtex device had been designed in a cone shape to channel the blast upwards , thereby causing maximum damage to the vehicle and the soldiers inside . The area around Market Square was crowded with onlookers , including many teenagers and families with young children , although the biggest crowd was at the carpark . In all , about 10 , 000 onlookers had attended the charity run . There was pandemonium as frightened parents searched for their children , whilst others rushed to give aid to the dead and dying soldiers before fire engines and ambulances arrived . Eleven civilian bystanders were injured in the attack , including a two - year - old child and an 80 - year - old man . Another soldier died on the way to hospital whilst a sixth soldier died later that night after undergoing surgery for severe head injuries . The dead soldiers were stationed at Ebrington Barracks in Derry and were returning to base when the bomb went off . Four of the men – Sergeant Michael Winkler ( 31 ) , Signalman Mark Clavey ( 24 ) , Lance Corporal Graham Lambie ( 22 ) , and Corporal William Patterson ( 22 ) – were from the Royal Signals regiment , whilst the other two – Corporal Ian Metcalf ( 36 ) and Lance Corporal Derek Green ( 20 ) – were from the Green Howards and Royal Army Ordnance Corps regiments respectively . Lisburn is a mainly Protestant town , 14 miles southwest of Belfast . It serves as the garrison Headquarters of the British Army in Northern Ireland . Six months before the van bombing , a booby - trap bomb planted by the IRA killed Ulster Defence Association ( UDA ) leader John McMichael in Lisburn . The van bombing resulted in the greatest loss of life suffered by the British Army since 11 soldiers were killed in the Droppin Well Disco bombing on 6 December 1982 . In Belfast , on the same day as the Lisburn attack , the IRA shot dead the Ulster Volunteer Force ( UVF ) ' s east Belfast commander , Robert " Squeak " Seymour ( 33 ) . This was retaliation for the UVF bombing of an Irish nationalist pub in which three Catholics died . Aftermath . On 16 June , the Provisional IRA ' s Belfast Brigade claimed responsibility for the bombing , promising to wage " unceasing war " against the British security forces in Northern Ireland . Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams allegedly said that the IRA ' s killing of the six soldiers was " vastly preferable " to killing members of the Ulster Defence Regiment ( UDR ) or Royal Ulster Constabulary ( RUC ) . The leisure centre was forced to remain shut for a time after the loyalist Protestant Action Force ( a covername of the UVF ) issued a warning that they regarded Catholic staff working there as " legitimate targets " , inferring that they may have had a hand in the bombing . Lisburn mayor Councillor William Bleakes condemned the threats by the PAF . That same day , Tom King , then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland , travelled to Lisburn where he held a meeting with Lieutenant General Sir John Waters , the British Army Commander in Northern Ireland , and senior RUC officers . They discussed the attack and proposals for heightened security . The soldiers had failed to follow proper security procedures , as they had left their vehicle unguarded for over two hours and had then driven off without having checked under it beforehand . After the Lisburn meeting , King flew to London where he reported directly to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , who described the attack as a " terrible atrocity " . However , she rejected demands from Conservative members of Parliament to bring back internment , regarding the proposal as " a very serious step " . In his statement to the House of Commons , Tom King suggested that there would have been a much higher death toll had the bomb exploded in the carpark , where thousands of people had gathered after the run . The Irish Government also strongly condemned the killings and extended its sympathy to the families of the dead soldiers . The bombing was a topic of debate in the " Seanad Éireann " on 16 June 1988 . Bishop Cathal Daly of Down and Connor denounced the bombers and the killings in the " strongest possible terms " . Questions were raised as to how the IRA knew the soldiers were attending the charity run in Lisburn , how they recognised their unmarked van , and how the unit was able to plant a bomb in the predominately Protestant and loyalist town without being spotted , despite the amount of people in the carpark . The RUC believed that the bombers may have been wearing sports gear as they mingled with the crowd that evening ; they appealed to onlookers who had attended the event to hand over any film they may have taken of the " fun run " in an attempt to identify the IRA bombers . The following Saturday , between 1 , 000 and 2 , 000 people gathered in Lisburn city centre to attend a remembrance service for the six soldiers . A book of condolences was also opened .