A memorial to the 21 people killed in the Birmingham pub bombings is to be unveiled 44 years to the day and time of the IRA attack.
Explosions at the Mulberry Bush at 8.17pm and the Tavern in the Town at 8.27pm on 21 November 1974 killed 21 people and injured 220.
The atrocity is seen as one of the deadliest of the Troubles. Six men, who became known as the Birmingham Six, served 16 years in prison for the bombings before having their convictions quashed in 1991.
The memorial, designed by the local artist Anuradha Patel, will be officially revealed outside New Street station at a ceremony beginning at 8.17pm on Wednesday. It will be attended by religious and civic leaders and more than 80 members of the victims’ families.
The memorial features three sculpted metal trees, each with six 1.52-metre-long leaves inscribed with the names and ages of the victims. There will be benches for people to sit under the trees.
The statue will add to another dedicated to the victims of the attack, which stands in the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral, and has been funded with £110,000 from National Rail following a campaign by the Birmingham Irish Association.
Maurice Malone, the association’s chief executive, said: “As a group we wanted to create an inclusive and healing memorial which could reflect both the damage the pub bombings did to our city and also the hope we have for the future.”
“The families have always had a dream of healing the fractured community of Birmingham that has existed since the pub bombings in 1974.
“This new memorial is not only to remember those who were slain in cold blood, but to illustrate how the communities in Birmingham continue to support each other, no matter what.”
Julie Hambleton, a spokeswoman for the Justice4the21 campaign group, whose sister Maxine died in the bombings, told BirminghamLive that the event would be for invited guests only for health and safety reasons.
“The families wanted to be able to invite and have an open forum for people to come, but unfortunately for this year that is not possible. We’re very sorry to everyone who always attend our memorial ceremonies, who may not be able to be part of this year’s, but next year we will resume as normal.”