Royal Marines bombing survivor
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by Beth Robson
A man who survived horrific
injuries from the Deal bombing, and lived for another 21 years, has
died.
Douglas Pullan, a civilian, was six feet away when a bomb
planted by the IRA exploded in the Royal Marines School of Music
barracks at 8.27 on the morning of September 22, 1989, killing 11
Royal Marines bandsmen. It shook Deal and angered the whole
country.
Mr Pullan suffered severe injuries
to his brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and liver. His left arm had to
be amputated, he broke a leg, lost most of his hearing and had
numerous operations.
An induced coma lasted until
November 6, 1989 – 45 days after the blast. Doctors told the family
it would be a miracle if he survived. And if he did, he would
almost certainly be badly brain damaged.
But despite this he fought through,
living for another 21 years after the atrocity.
Mr Pullan, who lived with wife
Andrea at Lighthouse Road, St Margaret’s, died of a heart attack,
aged 83, on August 11 at Kent and Canterbury Hospital.
A tribute sent to the Mercury
includes detailed diary extracts by Mr Pullan's son Alan and
stepson Ross. In it Mr Pullan is described as a brave and
courageous man.
The timing of his death and the
release of the memoirs coincides with the 21st anniversary of the
bombing.
As Mr Pullan, a former Royal Marine
boy bugle drummer and Tilmanstone miner, was so close to the bomb
when it exploded, it inspired the belief among his family that it
was a miracle he survived.
The diary, compiled mostly by Alan,
includes some of his stepbrother Ross’s memories of their father’s
struggle to beat the IRA and live, and the effect that watching his
battle had on the family.
Full story and more
photos in this week's East Kent Mercury.
Wednesday, September 08 2010
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