BROTHER TELLS OF TORMENT OF WAITING FOR NEWS OF BROTHER
Brother tells of the torment of waiting for news of brother
Aside from the terrible hurt of excruciating physical pain as the dead and injured lay on Omagh's Market street, subsequently being tended to by rescue workers, there was the torment of awaiting the outcome as concerned families feared the worst, unable to trace a father, mother, sister or brother, after the bomb left a scene of devastation in the evacuation area, which was believed to provide safety for scores of busy shoppers in the town last Saturday.
In one particular case, the brother of 16 year old Alan Radford waited with his family an agonising 24 hours before learning of the youngster's death.
His devastated brother Paul, 29, who tore round hospital wards for much of that time looking for Alan, said he only believed he was dead when he saw him lying in the morgue.
With the horror of that moment written across his face, he said:
"I could see his hair above the sheet, it was all ruffled and unwashed. I knew it was him straight away and then they pulled back the sheet and I saw his wee face, his eyes were open and he looked stunned."
"He had this awful look of amazement in his eyes, thats how he died, what in God's earth had happened to him. I'm glad he died instantly that he didn't know anything, because he was a very gentle lad who hated the sight of blood."
Alan was shopping in the town with his mother when the bomb warning was signalled. Oblivious to the danger he wandered along with his mother into the Market street area, but slipped away to do his own shopping. This moment of fate proved fatal as seconds later the bomb went off.
His mum suffered shrapnel wounds but was not seriously hurt, She lay nearby shouting her son's name, unaware that he was lying dead around the corner.
Paul, meanwhile had heard the explosion from his Castleview Park home and rushed to the Lisanelly Army camp, which he thought might have been the target.
"I then ran to the hospital. I saw my mum in casualty. She was bleeding and crying. She screamed at me "Where's Alan?'
I said 'don't worry, I'll find him, let's look after you first."
"I took her into the outpatients area, where the less seriously injured were being treated. And then I picking up bits of bodies and limbs and trying to put them with the people to whom they belonged."
Soon afterwards a shell shocked Paul raced to the makeshift incident room at the leisure centre, where he scoured ever-increasing lists of the feared dead and injured but could not see Alan's name.
He then became hopeful, and after speaking with a man who had been putting bodies into bags, Paul described what Alan was wearing, to which description the man could not remember; which lifted Paul's spirits slightly as still he was determined to find his brother as fresh lists of deaths were appearing.
He went to the makeshift morgue at the Army camp and was told that there were bodies there but that no one was being allowed in.
Back at the Leisure Centre, Paul waited several more hours.
"In the end I had to get out of there. I went to a bar with a friend and had about five whiskies. But I couldn't think properly. Everything was mad."
Over the next 10 hours Paul sat in his home wondering about the fate of his younger brother.
But there was no news until morning. At 10 am, a friend knocked at the door and broke the dreadful news that left Paul with a harrowing wound, heartfelt sorrow and the painstaking ordeal of accepting that his loving brother was dead.
"It was the waiting that was the worst thing of all. He died at the scene but it took all of that time for us to find out. We will never get over this."
Paul is left to comfort the rest of the family including his heartbroken mum.
Alan's younger sister Claire,14, was finding it difficult to accept Alan's death.
"She's very withdrawn, she loved Alan so much" said Paul.
Alan leaves behind five sisters and two brothers.
Speaking this week, Mrs Radford said she went to the Salad Bowl to buy some groceries, and Alan said he would be back in a minute. She thought he was away to the electric shop, or to do messages of his own.
The grieving mother said she could not understand the thinking behind the people who planted the bomb. She said these people were born innocent, but somewhere along the way they became so bitter.
She does feel though, that they should be brought to justice for what they have done. "They just can't do this and take people's lives. It's wrong" said Mrs Radford.
Aside from the terrible hurt of excruciating physical pain as the dead and injured lay on Omagh's Market street, subsequently being tended to by rescue workers, there was the torment of awaiting the outcome as concerned families feared the worst, unable to trace a father, mother, sister or brother, after the bomb left a scene of devastation in the evacuation area, which was believed to provide safety for scores of busy shoppers in the town last Saturday.
In one particular case, the brother of 16 year old Alan Radford waited with his family an agonising 24 hours before learning of the youngster's death.
His devastated brother Paul, 29, who tore round hospital wards for much of that time looking for Alan, said he only believed he was dead when he saw him lying in the morgue.
With the horror of that moment written across his face, he said:
"I could see his hair above the sheet, it was all ruffled and unwashed. I knew it was him straight away and then they pulled back the sheet and I saw his wee face, his eyes were open and he looked stunned."
"He had this awful look of amazement in his eyes, thats how he died, what in God's earth had happened to him. I'm glad he died instantly that he didn't know anything, because he was a very gentle lad who hated the sight of blood."
Alan was shopping in the town with his mother when the bomb warning was signalled. Oblivious to the danger he wandered along with his mother into the Market street area, but slipped away to do his own shopping. This moment of fate proved fatal as seconds later the bomb went off.
His mum suffered shrapnel wounds but was not seriously hurt, She lay nearby shouting her son's name, unaware that he was lying dead around the corner.
Paul, meanwhile had heard the explosion from his Castleview Park home and rushed to the Lisanelly Army camp, which he thought might have been the target.
"I then ran to the hospital. I saw my mum in casualty. She was bleeding and crying. She screamed at me "Where's Alan?'
I said 'don't worry, I'll find him, let's look after you first."
"I took her into the outpatients area, where the less seriously injured were being treated. And then I picking up bits of bodies and limbs and trying to put them with the people to whom they belonged."
Soon afterwards a shell shocked Paul raced to the makeshift incident room at the leisure centre, where he scoured ever-increasing lists of the feared dead and injured but could not see Alan's name.
He then became hopeful, and after speaking with a man who had been putting bodies into bags, Paul described what Alan was wearing, to which description the man could not remember; which lifted Paul's spirits slightly as still he was determined to find his brother as fresh lists of deaths were appearing.
He went to the makeshift morgue at the Army camp and was told that there were bodies there but that no one was being allowed in.
Back at the Leisure Centre, Paul waited several more hours.
"In the end I had to get out of there. I went to a bar with a friend and had about five whiskies. But I couldn't think properly. Everything was mad."
Over the next 10 hours Paul sat in his home wondering about the fate of his younger brother.
But there was no news until morning. At 10 am, a friend knocked at the door and broke the dreadful news that left Paul with a harrowing wound, heartfelt sorrow and the painstaking ordeal of accepting that his loving brother was dead.
"It was the waiting that was the worst thing of all. He died at the scene but it took all of that time for us to find out. We will never get over this."
Paul is left to comfort the rest of the family including his heartbroken mum.
Alan's younger sister Claire,14, was finding it difficult to accept Alan's death.
"She's very withdrawn, she loved Alan so much" said Paul.
Alan leaves behind five sisters and two brothers.
Speaking this week, Mrs Radford said she went to the Salad Bowl to buy some groceries, and Alan said he would be back in a minute. She thought he was away to the electric shop, or to do messages of his own.
The grieving mother said she could not understand the thinking behind the people who planted the bomb. She said these people were born innocent, but somewhere along the way they became so bitter.
She does feel though, that they should be brought to justice for what they have done. "They just can't do this and take people's lives. It's wrong" said Mrs Radford.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0033
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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