Edith White’s life shattered after the Omagh bomb. She spent years searching for her husband and son, struggling with unimaginable grief.
Edith’s statement was read by Hugh Southey KC. The family had just returned from vacation. Fred and Bryan went into town. Soon after, Edith heard a loud bang. Edith barely remembers the days after the deaths.
She couldn’t accept that Fred and Bryan were gone. Edith couldn’t understand their murder. For years she searched for them in her car. She looked for Fred’s car, a black Ford. She left their things untouched, like toothbrushes. Bryan’s sheets were changed regularly. They never returned, and the silence remains.
Edith won’t seek counselling. She says a counselor wouldn’t know Fred or Bryan. She is also very private. They were a normal, close family of three people. They didn’t socialize much. They took holidays, doing their own thing.
The bombing wrecked her life. Acceptance feels impossible for her. She blocks it out. It is important for her not to change.
It’s harder to deny with time. Anger builds; she cries, then distracts herself. Media reports and the government actions added to her pain. Families want answers. The government caused unnecessary family disagreements.
She hopes the inquiry unites the families. They all share the same pain. Their loved ones were murdered. A photo shows Fred and Bryan before the blast. It was the last day of vacation.
Fred’s daughter, Linda, gave a statement. She reported her mental and physical health suffered. She has lived differently because of this tragedy. The bomb reawakened past traumas and pain.
Linda also read a poem. It was by Donna Ashworth, about grief. “You don’t lose somebody just once.” “You lose them every day for a lifetime.”
