'I woke in a world of pain' - IRA Hyde Park bombing victim speaks of lasting trauma - WATCH

“It was instant. Everything just went black and I woke up against a tree in a world of pain.”

These are the words of a man who was injured in the 1982 IRA bombings of Hyde Park which left 11 soldiers and seven horses dead.

Donald Mills, aged 78 of Coven, was in his 40s when he was injured in the bombing on July 20, 1982.

He was working for delivery service Riders Express, based in Birmingham.

Mr Mills, who is originally from Nechells in Birmingham, used to drive into the capital three or four times a week to deliver military supplies to Kensington barracks.

Whilst on his way to deliver his supplies at around 8am on that day he and a colleague from the barracks saw the car that would later explode, with a parking ticket on the front.

At 10.40 am, the nail bomb exploded in the boot of a blue Morris Marina parked on South Carriage Drive in Hyde Park. The bomb was made up of 30 lb of nails and 25 lb of gelignite. It exploded as soldiers of the Household Cavalry, the Queen’s official bodyguard regiment, were passing by.

Mr Mills said: “I arrived at the barracks like I usually would. Except this time, there was a car in the way, with a parking ticket on the front saying it had no petrol – like they used to issue in those days. I said I wouldn’t be able to deliver the supplies unless it was moved, so the men came out and together we bounced the car along so I had space to move it.

“Then, someone, somewhere, seemed to suddenly turn off the lights. It was instant. Everything just went black and I woke up against a tree in a world of pain.”

The blast caused Mr Mills to hit a tree in the park with full force. The impact severely damaged the internal membrane in his chest. The nerve endings in his legs were severely damaged, leaving him unable to walk and he also suffered nerve damage in his hands. Since the blast, he has also developed kidney problems – meaning he has to go on dialysis three days a week. I’ll never forget waking up in that moment” Mr Mills said, “The sound of the screaming horses. It’s indescribable. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

The device set off to cause the blast was one of a series of IRA bombs that exploded in London over a four-year period. The Hyde Park blast caused particular outrage, not just because of the human casualties but because of the deaths of the horses.

“Soldiers came out and picked me up,” Mr Mills said, “And I saw the horses. There was so much blood everywhere, and the noise was horrendous. It still comes back to me. I saw the vets coming out to help and some of them having no choice but to euthanise the ones that were still alive – they were suffering so much.”

Mr Mills decided to speak out following the recent Westminster terror attack and the death of former Northern Ireland First Minister Martin McGuinness, who was a senior IRA commander at the height of The Troubles.

Mr Mills said: “It took me a long time to talk about what happened to me. I felt as though I couldn’t, because I’d signed the Official Secrets Act for my work, so I bottled it up. Seeing what happened in Westminster brought it all back. It upset me to see that these types of things are still happening so many years later. I was relieved when Martin McGuinness died. I believe it was him that ordered the bombs to go off.”

Two hours after the Hyde Park blast, a second bomb exploded under a bandstand two miles away in Regent’s Park. This blast killed seven soldiers with the Royal Green Jackets band.

The bomb had been hidden under the stand some time before and triggered by a timer. Unlike the Hyde Park bomb, it contained no nails and seemed to be designed to cause minimal harm to bystanders.

Mr Mills visited London around eight years ago with his friend Janet Castree, aged 64, who now cares for him. “We went to the Royal Opera House, and we passed Hyde Park” Mr Mills said. “I broke down, it was so overwhelming. I just broke down.

“Ever since then, I’ve been able to talk about it. It was like someone popped the lid off the bottle. I just want other people to do the same.”

Mr Mills hopes that by telling his story, he will help others deal with the trauma of going through terrorist attacks.

“I would say to anyone who has gone through anything like this to speak out, to just speak to friends, to family, someone you trust. Don’t be afraid, because if you leave it and gloss over the top, it’ll take it years to get over.”

Mr Mills has also written to his MP, chief whip Gavin Williamson to find out whether he is able to receive compensation for what he went through.

It comes as a committee of MPs recently said that the next UK government should finance a compensation fund for victims of IRA attacks which used Libyan explosives.

Mr Mills said: “I’ve spent so much of my savings on my health care and medical bills since the attack and I just want justice for me and the people who went through this. I’ve fought for so many years and don’t seem to ever get anywhere.”

"I just want other people to do the same."

Mr Mills hopes that by telling his story, he will help others deal with the trauma of going through terrorist attacks.

"I would say to anyone who has gone through anything like this to speak out, to just speak to friends, to family, someone you trust. Don't be afraid, because if you leave it and gloss over the top, it'll take it years to get over."

Mr Mills has also written to his MP, chief whip Gavin Williamson to find out whether he is able to receive compensation for what he went through.

He said: "I've spent so much of my savings on my health care and medical bills since the attack and I just want justice for me and the people who went through this. I've fought for so many years and don't seem to ever get anywhere."

27-year-old Gilbert “Danny” McNamee, from County Armagh, was sentenced at the Old Bailey in October 1987, to 25 years in prison for his role in the Hyde Park bombing and others, despite his not guilty plea.

In December 1998, shortly after his release from Maze prison under the Good Friday Agreement, three Court of Appeal judges quashed his conviction.

Sefton was the horse that survived the Hyde Park attack despite suffering serious wounds. He became a well-known and much loved figure.