By Paul Brown, Colin Brown, Peter Hetherington, David Hearst and Gareth Parry 

An investigation into the security breach which allowed the Provisional IRA to attempt the assassination of the Prime Minister and most of her Cabinet at their Brighton conference hotel began last night. 
The bomb brought tons of rubble through seven floors of the Grand Hotel, Brighton, miraculously missing Mrs Thatcher but killing the Conservative MP for Enfield South, Sir Anthony Berry. 

Also believed to be dead are Mrs Roberta Wakeham, wife of the Government chief whip, Mr John Wakeham, and Mrs Jeanne Shattock, wife of the president of the South-West Conservative Association, Mr Gordon Shattock. Mr Eric Taylor, chairman of the North-West Area Association was missing. 
Mrs ThatcherÕs bathroom was demolished two minutes after she had left it, but two of her senior ministers, the Industry Secretary, Mr Norman Tebbit, and Mr Wakeham were trapped in the rubble. Mr Tebbit was brought out after four hours and Mr Wakeham after six. Both men underwent operations in hospital. Mr Wakeham has serious leg injuries. 

The Prime Minister insisted that the conference should continue as normal and went on to deliver her keynote speech. The bombing, she said, was Òan attempt to cripple our Government Ñ and that is the scale of the outrage.Ó 
She and her colleagues had been surrounded by close personal protection for more than two months because of a tip-off about an IRA assassination squad. 
Three Special Branch officers guard her personally and other officers were posted on the first, second and third floor landings.

The American FBI had warned that a Provisional Òsleeper squadÓ had been reactivated and was planning a winter terrorist offensive. This underlined British intelligence information already gained. 

The tip-off was lent extra weight two weeks ago when an FBI tip-off led to the arrest of five alleged IRA gunrunners and the capture of trawler Marita Anne off the Irish coast. 

Recent successes against the IRA meant that they had to seek to re-establish their credibility by a spectacular action.

At the scene, police officers confessed their amazement that so many had escaped death. This may have been due to the strength of the Regency building absorbing some of the blast.

The chief constable of Sussex, Mr Roger Birch, asked for an independent inquiry into the security arrangements to be conducted by the deputy chief constable of Hampshire, Mr John Hoddinott.

Commander Bill Hucklesby, head of the anti-terrorist squad, went to Brighton to help with the investigations being carried out by the Sussex police, led by Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Reece. Also involved are Assistant Chief Constable David Scott and Chief Superintendent Dennis Williams. 

Experts estimated the bomb at 10 to 15lb. but Ñ with the dead and critically injured still trapped in the rubble Ñ the Provisional IRA in Dublin issued a statement claiming responsibility and saying the bomb was 1001b. 

The statement, addressed to Mrs Thatcher, said in part: ÒToday we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once. You will have to be lucky always. Give Ireland peace and there will be no war.Ó 

After her speech to the conference in which she again emphasised her refusal to be moved by the bombers, Mrs Thatcher went straight to the Royal Sussex Hospital, where she spent two hours with the injured. 

She said the 18 victims she spoke to had one message for the Provisional IRA Ñ that she should not give in.

It was a miracle that even more people were not injured in the explosion she said. Mr Tebbit and Mr Wakeham were both asleep during her visit.
She said some of the victims were asleep when the bomb went off. ÒThey found themselves way outside their rooms, there were people several storeys down, it is unbelievable. There was a great deal of rubble, then dust and water.Ó

Mr Birch, the Sussex Chief Constable, refused to speculate about the size or nature of the bomb. There were rumours that it was timed to go off when ministers would be in their rooms and had been planted in a front bedroom. The impact of the bomb appeared to have been concentrated on the fifth floor, collapsing lower floors and ripping off the roof. 

Debris was scattered over the promenade and the beach. Forensic scientists are expected to take some days to piece together information about the device. 

At a press conference, Mr Birch took responsibility for the security arrangements in the town but he insisted that they were adequate.
He said: ÒI feel a great sense of sadness that it should have happened. I am still of the opinion that the arrangements we made were appropriate to the occasion. 

ÒTo guarantee 100 per cent security, particularly from an explosive device, would call for the sort of security arrangements which so far have or would prove quite unacceptable to the community, and therefore you would have to have a total split between the ministers in residence and other people sharing the hotel.Ó

The bomb, which went off at about 2.54am, could have caused greater mayhem in the hotel had the main bar on the ground floor not closed promptly at 2am. 

All those staying at the hotel yesterday had to register at the conference centre to help the police to establish who was missing, and to reclaim property. Many lost their clothes. Marks & Spencer opened their store to replace them. 

The blast also scattered Government papers and Cabinet documents, with their red boxes, which were collected quickly by the rescue teams and driven away in a police Land Rover. 

Sir Geoffrey Howe, the Foreign Secretary, was occupying rooms next door to Mrs Thatcher, and Mr Leon Brittan, the Home Secretary, was next to him. 
As well as Mrs ThatcherÕs bathroom, Sir GeoffreyÕs study was also demolished, Mr John Gummer, who was helping Mrs Thatcher to put the finishing touches to her conference speech, had gone across the corridor to collect some papers when the blast occurred. He was unhurt. 
Mr Paul Boswell, aged 59, the hotel manager, said that if the blast had gone according to plan Òit would have meant that the whole lot would have come down on Mrs Thatcher.Ó 

Mr Boswell, who handed in his notice on Thursday ready for retirement, was in his flat on the second floor when the bomb went off. 

In the hotel bar, Mr Ron Farley, aged 40, the Tory group leader of Bradford City council, was still in evening dress when the explosion occurred.

ÒEveryone was showered with glass and I told them to get down,Ó he said. ÒI shouted to the people to join hands. There were about 30 or 40 of us who linked up and we slowly made our way through the back. 

There was one policeman lying on the floor, covered in rubble. We  pulled away all the rubbish. He was injured, I donÕt know how badly. 
ÒThen I found this poor old dear, a 70-year-old lady, can you believe? She had one eye missing. It was terrible.Ó 

Two bodies were recovered, perched and dangling from joists in the gaping hole in the front of the hotel. Firemen had to pick their way downwards taking off the beams and joists one by one.

After two hours, Mr TebbitÕs foot was seen poking through the beams. Fireman Tony Hayward said: ÒHe was in quite a bit of pain but he did not show it. He is really a strong guy.Ó 

The Tory party organiser, Mr Harvey Thomas, who was rescued after 1hr 45min, left hospital to listen to Mrs ThatcherÕs speech. 

His wife brought him some clothes from London. He said he had thought he was going to die, but after an hour he heard firemenÕs voices. 

ÒThe firemen were terrific. They worked for an hour, during which time we were freezing cold and the water was pouring over us. I had been on the seventh floor and I was pulled out of the fifth so I must have fallen two floors. I am very thankful. My wife is expecting a baby today.Ó