Today is Thursday, February 4th, 2021.

On this day in 1974, a bomb exploded on a bus chartered by the British Armed Forces as it traveled down the M62 motorway.

Nine soldiers and three civilians were killed in the blast.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parcast. Due to the graphic nature of

today's crimes, listener discretion is advised. Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today we're covering the bombing of a bus which was shuttling off-duty servicemen and their families

between Manchester and the Catterick Army base.

The attack is believed to have been carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, or Provisional IRA.

Let's go back to the County of West Yorkshire, England, just after midnight on February 4, 1974.

In the cold darkness of night, a packed bus rattled along the M62 motorway,

a long stretch of road connecting the major cities of Northern England.

As a heavy fog formed outside, most passengers dozed off in their seats. 17-year-old Tommy Judge was particularly tired.

In fact, the young soldier had tried to snag the coveted back row for himself and sleep through the entire ride.

Unfortunately, 23-year-old Corporal Clifford Houghton and his family had beaten him to the punch. But Clifford's sons, five-year-old Corporal Clifford Houghton and his family had beaten him to the punch.

But Clifford's sons, 5-year-old Lee and 2-year-old Robert were doing anything but sleeping.

They quickly grew restless on the long drive, alternating between bouts of sudden laughter and tears. Tommy Judge fared no better, forced to take a regular seat in the middle of the coach.

He struggled to find a comfortable position to get a good night's rest.

Shortly after midnight, he stirred awake as a radio announcer reported the nightly news.

Then around 12.20 a.m., a sudden blast rocked the back of the bus.

Chaos erupted as the coach launched forward, the windows shattered, and passengers were thrown from their seats.

When the bus finally came to a stop, Tommy turned around to see what had happened.

To his horror, the entire back of the vehicle was gone, including the Houghtons.

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