Two separate events were held to commemorate the murder of 34-year-old Underground driver Joseph (Julius) Stephen on 15 March 1976. He was shot dead while trying to stop an IRA terrorist after a bomb exploded on his train, injuring nine passengers. Another passenger was shot and seriously wounded before the terrorist was overpowered by an unarmed police officer.
Mr. Stephen was posthumously awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal but left behind a widow and a four-year-old son.
The first commemoration was organized by the charity Ancre Somme Association, with speeches from Northern Irish MP Carla Lockhart and local West Ham MP James Asser, and attended by family friends.
The second, marking the 50th anniversary, was organized by TFL and the RMT union, of which Mr. Stephen had been a member.
Many thanks to the charity and TFL for both well-attended events, which the family seemed very pleased with. It is only right that we remember and honour a brave public servant who sacrificed his life to protect his passengers, as well as all those injured in the attack.
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