THIS weekend, the families of four 1st Royal Regiment of Fusilier soldiers will return to Enniskillen 40 years after a bomb shattered their lives.

Two of the men, Cpl Thomas Agar and L/Cpl Robert Huggins, were murdered outright in the Provisional IRA attack, while two others were seriously injured.

L/Cpl Peter Gallimore endured horrific burns and other injuries which led to his death five months later on October 18, 1984. 

Meanwhile, Cpl Clive Aldridge lost both his legs in the explosion, and passed away in August 2013, forever impacted by the events of that day, both physically and psychologically.

Lisnaskea-based South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) are facilitating the families' return to Fermanagh and will host 15 members across the four families.

A Service of Remembrance, followed by unveiling of a new Memorial Bench, will take place at 6pm on Saturday, May 18. 

The public are encouraged to come along and support the families.

Cpl Thomas Agar was 35 years old and married when he was murdered.

Known to his friends and family as 'Tommy', he had a love for rugby and played for the Regimental Rugby team and many other teams.

His son, Craig, is amongst those who will travel to the event this weekend.  He was the only son of Tommy and the late Sheila, who passed away some months ago.

"My memories of my dad are those of a young boy," he said. "I remember dad as a happy man who loved nature, loved life. His world was me, his family and the army.

“He loved rugby, he loved fishing. My memories are of us around a lake fishing and him teaching me about nature, about animals, respect for others, respect for the surroundings you live in.

“He was a gentleman who stood by his principles and before he died he taught me a lot of stuff I still carry with me today. He was a good man - my hero.”

Meanwhile, Lance Corporal Robert (Bob) Huggins was married and 29 years old.

Bob was as an all-round sportsman who enjoyed rugby, running and fishing and was proud to serve in the British Army.

“I met my husband when I was 16, in 1974. I met him at the local disco and you can say it was a whirlwind romance," said his widow, Christine. 

“We met in the February, got engaged in July, and married in November," she said. 

"I had my first child within a year of being married and we moved to Northern Ireland for our first posting.

“He was a doting dad to our three boys, Jason, Mark and Wesley. He loved the army, he lived for it, but he was also a good husband and a good dad. 

“We moved on to Cambridge then Germany and back to Northern Ireland, where the tragedy happened."

Lance Corporal Peter Gallimore was 27 and married to Annette. They had one son, Sam, who was four years old at the time.
 
Annette describes Peter as “a down-to-earth, truthful and honest man”, and added that "he enjoyed playing table tennis, having competed in regional competitions, and also had a love for fishing". 

"Peter was an avid Manchester United fan even though being born and bred in Bolton, he did support Bolton Wanderers."

Corporal Clive Aldridge lived until he was 63 years old, and was married at the time of his death.

Clive had a love for fishing and disabled sailing, winning many trophies. Along with his brother John, Clive sailed for the Great Britain Access Disabled Team on Lake Geneva in the World Championship, coming an impressive fourth place.

His brother, John, reflected: “Clive was invited to Buckingham Palace. This was a very proud day for Clive and his family.

"Clive never, ever forgot his friends in the army, and what happened to them.

“He was such a respected person. In our home town, Maldon in Essex, he was the most respected person you could imagine, he really was, because they knew of his problem, but he was a man who'd do anything; he'd never give up, nothing would ever faze him.”