Baltic bomb – 20 years on
Surviving the blast Next month marks the 20th anniversary of the Baltic bomb blast that killed three people. The Baltic talks to Jeffrey Blum, the most severely injured of the survivors
I
f luck is a contributing factor to survival in the
into the air and for sufficient time for the General
face of a terrorist incident, Jeffrey Blum can be
Council of British Shipping headquarters, which
considered to have had his fair share, although
was seven stories high, to collapse and for me
the luck in question is not necessarily of the
to land on its rubble.” As he was carrying a brief case at the time,
order that everyone would appreciate. Paul Butt aged 29, Baltic Exchange employee
the force of the blast exposed his inner arm,
Thomas Casey aged 49 and 15-year old Danielle
which eventually had to be rebuilt using muscle
Carter were killed when a white van carrying a
from his back. Hitting the ground head first, one
bomb made from Semtex and fertiliser exploded
of the more unlikely strokes of luck occurred.
late on Friday evening 10th April 1992.
Whilst his brain started to swell as a result of
At the time when the IRA bomb exploded
the impact, a flying brick cracked his skull open
outside the Baltic Exchange building that night,
wide, thereby allowing his brain to continue to
Jeffrey was working for Prochart Services, a
expand and not implode due to unsustainable
shipbroking company located on the second
internal pressure. However, a piece of glass
floor of the Baltic Exchange in St Mary Axe in
embedded in his brain had to be removed by
the City.
neurosurgery.
Prochart was instrumental in moving most of
The second bit of luck occurred because he
the UN peacekeeping forces’ equipment round
was found within 10 minutes by police officers
the world, so Jeffrey says it was an extremely
and an eye surgeon who happened to be in
busy time, not least because this time saw
the Underground at the time of the explosion
the beginnings of problems in Somalia and
and who went up to street level to provide
also the time when the UN was pulling out of
Jeffrey Blum
assistance. When Jeffrey was found, he was conscious
Cambodia. “We had a lot of administration and a lot of fixing of ships. It was a massive project
tube station but only reached what was then
and asked the surgeon to “stop this bloody
and I was therefore working late on that Friday
the General Council of British Shipping building
tickling in my ear”. Jeffrey says he doesn’t swear,
night.” He left the office at about 9.20 in the
adjacent to the former Baltic Exchange when the
although the doctor evidently did not know
evening and said goodnight to one of the two
bomb exploded a few feet behind him.
that. “In fact I was being accurate without even knowing it, because my ear drums had been
Baltic employees, Ron Brooks, who was on
Coded warnings had been issued by the
duty that night with Tom Casey , who died in
IRA but these were not specific enough to
the explosion.
identify the Baltic Exchange, as opposed to
Recognising that the brain injury was the
Ron Brooks let him out of the building. “Ron
any other exchange in London, as the target.
most severe, the eye surgeon recommended
and I have a particularly special relationship
The police had raced to the Stock Exchange.
taking Jeffrey to St Bartholomew’s Hospital
because, if I hadn’t left then, he would have
Road work outside the Baltic Exchange for the
where he was treated by Peter Hamlyn, a
been in the back room with Tom.” Ron was also
previous week had meant that the builders’ van
“brilliant neurosurgeon “.
severely injured in the blast. Having left the Baltic
which exploded did not attract prior notice.
building, Jeffrey walked towards Liverpool Street
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“The force of the blast catapulted me high
theBaltic Spring 2012 www.thebaltic.com
perforated by the sound of the blast”.
Hamlyn intervened at a time when Jeffrey had lost a total of seven out of his eight pints