DUNBLANE TRAGEDY VICTIMSOn 13 March, 1996, Britain was united in grief by the events at Dunblane Primary School in central Scotland.
Sixteen children aged five and six, and their teacher, were gunned down by a local man in an unexplained and unprecedented attack.
Thomas Hamilton, an unemployed former Scout leader, entered the school through a side door shortly after 9.30am and opened fire on a gym class.
Of the 30 pupils of Primary One, 15 were shot dead, along with their 45-year-old teacher Gwen Mayor, who had tried to shield her pupils from the gunfire. Another of the children was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital, while 12 other pupils and two teachers were injured.
The killer, who was armed with two pistols and two revolvers, then turned two of his weapons on himself and shot himself dead. He held many grudges against the authorities.
The Dunblane shootings led to a huge public outcry against the licensing of handguns and more than 700,000 people signed a petition calling for an outright ban. As a result, the Government outlawed private ownership of handguns in 1997 and also staged a national amnesty in which 160,000 weapons were surrendered. Security measures in schools across the country were also improved.
Several memorial services were held for the victims, both in Dunblane and at locations across the country. Two memorial gardens were opened in the town and a community centre was opened. The school itself was demolished and completely rebuilt in the following years.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the Queen, Princess Anne, John Major and Tony Blair were among those to visit the town to offer condolences to the victims’ families and lay floral tributes. Numerous musicians wrote songs influenced by the tragedy and a charity version of Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door reached number one the following December.
The 17 victims of the Dunblane massacre were:
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Gwen Mayor, 45, teacher of Primary One
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Victoria Clydesdale, 5
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Emma Crozier, 5
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Melissa Currie, 5
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Charlotte Dunn, 5
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Kevin Hasell, 5
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Ross Irvine, 5
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David Kerr, 5
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Mhairi McBeath, 5
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Brett McKinnon, 6
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Abigail McLennan, 5
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Emily Morton, 5
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Sophie North, 5
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John Petrie, 5
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Joanna Ross, 5
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Hannah Scott, 5
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Megan Turner, 5
Describing a visit to Dunblane on the day of the tragedy to the House of Lords, the Earl of Lindsay said: “What we witnessed there encompassed both the worst and the best of which humanity is capable. In contrast to the stark evil of the crime, doctors, teachers, police, ambulance personnel and other caring professionals, Church leaders and volunteers worked unsparingly to save life and console the bereaved.”
One of the heroes of the day who was singled out for his actions in saving pupils was headmaster, Ron Taylor. “Evil visited us today,” he said. “We don't understand it, and I guess we never will.”
Among the survivors of what remains the deadliest attack on children in the history of the UK, was Britain’s number one tennis player Andy Murray who was eight years old at the time. He and his brother, Jamie, who was also a pupil at the school, took refuge under a desk in the headmaster’s office.
The events of that day left their mark on him. He told one interviewer: "Anyone who comes from a small town and achieves something puts that town on the map. In Dunblane's case, it is especially important. After what happened, it wasn't a very good place to be. Now it's a lot more positive and if I've played any part in that, then I'm very proud."
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