injured when an IRA letterbomb exploded at a postal sorting office in London. 20 December 1973: the IRA accidentally shot dead a civilian (Rodney Fenton, aged 23) on Atlantic Avenue, New Lodge, Belfast; an RUC reservist was the intended target. 24 December 1973: the IRA left two packages which exploded almost simultaneously in the late evening on Christmas Eve. One was in the doorway of the North Star public house, South Hampstead, which exploded injuring six people, and the other exploded on the upstairs veranda of the nearby Swiss Cottage Tavern, in which an unspecified number of people were injured. 24 December 1973: two IRA volunteers (Edward Grant and Brendan Quinn) died, killing one civilian (Aubrey Harshaw), when their bomb prematurely exploded in Clarke's Bar, Monaghan Street, Newry. 26 December 1973: one person was injured when an IRA bomb exploded at Stage Door public house in London. 31 December 1973: an IRA sniper shot dead a British soldier (Alan Daughtery, aged 23) travelling in an APC on Beechmount Avenue, near Falls Road, Belfast. 1974 1 January 1974: A Catholic civilian (John Whyte, aged 24) was shot dead during an IRA sniper attack on a British Army patrol on McClure Street, off Ormeau Road, Belfast. 3 January 1974: A 10-lb bomb exploded in London at the home of Major General Philip Ward, General Officer commander of the London district. The building was heavily damaged. The IRA is suspected. 17 January 1974: The IRA shot dead an off-duty UDR soldier (Robert Jameson, aged 22) near his home at Trillick, County Tyrone. 20 January 1974: A UDR soldier (Cormac McCabe, aged 42) was shot dead by the IRA; his body was found in a field near Aughnacloy, County Tyrone. 21 January 1974: A British soldier (John Haughey, aged 32) was killed by an IRA remote-controlled bomb hidden in an electricity distribution box on Lone Moor Road, Creggan, Derry. It was detonated when a British foot-patrol passed. 23 January 1974: An IRA unit which included Rose Dugdale and Eddie Gallagher hijacked a helicopter and used it to drop bombs on Strabane RUC station. One of the bombs landed on the grounds of the station, but failed to explode. 25 January 1974: A British soldier (Howard Fawley, aged 19) was killed by an IRA landmine as he and his patrol searched a field at Ballymaguigan, near Ballyronan, County Londonderry. 26 January 1974: The IRA shot