On Wednesday March 13th 1996, the deadliest mass-shooting in British history took place at Dunblane Primary School, near Stirling, Scotland. The murderer entered the school gym, in which a Primary One class were preparing for a PE lesson. He started shooting, and within four minutes had killed sixteen children, as well as their teacher, Gwen Mayor, injuring fifteen others. He then turned the gun on himself. The children who died were all aged between five and six years old.
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door / Throw These Guns Away, by Dunblane
1 week, from 15th – 22nd December 1996
I sat looking at a blank screen for a good few minutes today, working out how best to start this post. In the end, it I decided it would be easier if I just explained what happened, the history behind this record, and the horrific tragedy that inspired it. There will be no real comment on, or critique of the song, in this post. I wasn’t even sure if I should bother listening to it, as the song is not the story here.
It is, of course, a cover of Bob Dylan’s 1973 hit, which had also charted at #2 for Guns ‘n’ Roses in 1992. Scottish musician Ted Christopher wrote a new verse, one of very few times that Dylan has allowed his lyrics to be altered. Lord these guns have caused too much pain, This town will never be the same… He was supported by Mark Knopfler on guitar (his only appearance on a #1), as well as a choir of children from Dunblane. Christopher also penned the flip-side of the disc, ‘Throw These Guns Away’, which incorporates ‘Auld Lang Syne’. The proceeds from the record’s sales went to various children’s charities.
Over the course of this blog, we’ve featured several songs recorded to commemorate tragedies. Famine in Ethiopia, the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, Hillsborough… All horrible events, marked by largely average songs. But this one… It’s little children murdered in cold blood. I grew up thirty miles from Dunblane, and can remember leaving school that day to news of the mass murder. I remember my mum in tears. Even now, as a teacher in my day job, I’m more emotional than I thought I would be writing this.
The Dunblane Massacre may have been the worst shooting in British history, but thankfully it is unlikely to ever be surpassed. In 1997, two Firearm Acts were passed by parliament, banning almost all privately owned handguns in the UK.
Thanks for reading. If you just stumbled across this blog then please believe that it’s not always like this! Up next, The Spice Girls will be lightening the mood with 1996’s Christmas number one.
The UK Number Ones Blog 
Handled tactfully and appropriately. God bless the souls of those poor children, and their families.
I don’t think I can add anything meaningful to that. This must have been a very difficult post to write, especially with your memories as having been so close to Dunblane at the time.
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It was more difficult than I expected. I just remember hearing about it after finishing school (obviously they didn’t tell us about it during that day’s lessons) and my mum crying. Now, teaching students of a similar age, I can’t imagine the horror of being there that day.
Just came across this blog the other day – good work so far!
I’m about the same age as you and grew up in Falkirk, so not far from Dunblane at all. I actually went to sports classes taught by Thomas Hamilton (the gunman) about a year before the massacre, so when it all happened I was a little shaken understandably.
Very hard to talk about the actual song, as you say – it’s almost irrelevant. At least nothing like this has ever happened in the UK since.
At least the other entries from the next few years will be a lot more cheerful – this is my peak chart-listening era too.
Thanks for reading and commenting, even if it is on one of the worst number ones to write about… And how terrifying that you knew the murderer.
But yes, at least a ban came in fairly quickly, meaning it’s unlikely to happen again. And it’s easy to compare and contrast that with certain other parts of the world…
Any time something like this happens…just terrible, awful, and you see the very worse in people who do this…. and also the very best later when other people support the families…but the price isn’t worth it.
At least we had a better response to this and the Hungerford massacre than ‘thoughts and prayers.’ You treated it very well. One of the children who survived that day was a lad called Andy Murray.
Yes, I believe the Murrays knew the murderer from attending his sports club. Hard to imagine!
So I understand. I’ve met Judy several times – she coached one of my daughters – but it didn’t seem like something I could ask her about!
No, probably not great small talk!
yes an awful tragedy and you treated it well The UK at least took the appropriate response to it to avoid it happening again, so something positive resulted. My childhood trauma was the Aberfan disaster in 1966. 144 people died, mostly children, and the news footage hugely impacted me. When I mentioned it a decade back on a largely younger website (Buzzjack) nobody had heard of it that wasn’t around at the time, though it did get memorials for the 50th anniversary in 2016. That also changed policy, for coalmine slagheaps.
I think, after the intial shock, horror and sympathy, people don’t like to think about terrible things very much and so quietly try to forget. Which makes sense, from a psychological point of view. I’d bet many modern 20 year olds wouldn’t know about Dunblane. Aberfan was brought back into consciousness thanks to an episode of ‘The Crown’ – before that I’m not sure if I knew much about the disaster.
I was at school in England, hundreds of miles away from Dunblane, in Match 1996. I remember being so upset and horrified at the shooting. I also remember using my pocket money to buy this cassette. I think it has since been lost. I am so glad that school shootings in this country were so swiftly curtailed. Dunblane was a horrific even. I can’t imagine living in a country where they happen often enough to drill the kids regularly on what to do.