As time goes on ‘it’s not getting any easier’

Paul describes his dad as a “gentle giant”, standing tall at 6 ft 2, stocky and well built, he was a man with a “heart of gold”.

Born in 1927, Stanley Bodman first joined the RAF at the age of 20 but came back to Birmingham to work as an electrician in the Bullring.

His work often took him away from home but his son says he often used to bring back toys to cheer him up, when he was away for a long time.

Family life changed for Paul when he was in his 20s, his mother and father split up and he ended up living with his father in a flat in Edgbaston.

Stanley Bodman joined the RAF at the age of 20 but returned to Birmingham to work as an electrician. Credit: Family photo

Living so close to the cricket ground meant Paul and his father often went to the ground together and he fondly remembers their time together.

“The rumours are about that, has he only done that because the bars were open all day and he used to like a pint.”

Paul says if you met his father you would probably think “you wouldn’t want to argue with that guy” but deep down Stanley was a big softy.

He was also a sociable guy, he liked a drink with his friends after work and he was a regular at The Mulberry Bush pub in the city centre.

Stanley knew all of the landlords and regularly drank with his friends, including fellow electrician John Rowlands and railway guard Trevor Thrupp.

Visiting the bar was a chance for him to wind down at the end of the day, working long and unsociable hours as part of his job, before he came home.

Stanley was 47-years-old when he died in the attacks on 21 November 1974, Paul was just 20 when he lost his dad.

He remembers sitting at home watching the TV when it came up as a newsflash.

“It was one of the worst nights, you can imagine, it’s one of those moments in history you never forget….It was just chaos that night.”

Paul got up and went to work the next day, only to be met by a policeman who confirmed his worst fears.

He also knew several of the other people who had died.

Paul says he will always remember the holidays they went on together to Great Yarmouth. Credit: Family photo

Paul said he wanted to just lock himself away after that and not talk about it to anyone.

“I would love to remember the last conversation but I do remember having the last drink with him, which was in the Mulberry Bush, which was ironic really.”

After the attacks, Paul couldn’t face going into town for several years.

Nowadays, he says he finds it easier to talk about his dad with the rest of the family, including telling his own children about him.

Being involved with the Justice4the21 campaign group has also helped. Paul says the group feels like another family because they are all so close.

But he says as time goes on “it’s not getting any easier, it’s getting more difficult.”