along with England, Scotland, and Wales. James Craig, Lord Craigavon, had been Prime Minister of Northern Ireland since its inception in 1921 up until his death in 1940. Instead of pressing his advantage, however, Hitler abruptly changed his strategy. Those who sought refuge at the school were told that they would quickly be relocated to a safer area, but the evacuation was delayed. During the first year of the war, behind-the-lines conditions prevailed in London. Video, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. The Belfast blitz devastated a city that up until 1941 had remained unscathed during World War Two. Nurse Emma Duffin, who had served in World War I, contrasted death in that conflict with what she saw:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. Reviewed by: Geoffrey Roberts. When war broke out in 1939 the city did not expect to be attacked by German bombers: it was geographically remote and deemed a relatively . ISBN 9781909556324. Outside of London, with some 900 dead, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Blitz. These balloons, the largest of which were some 60 feet (18 metres) long, were essentially an airspace denial tool. The Belfast Blitz consisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. Blitz Fibre UK Blitz Fibre UK Published Mar 1, 2023 + Follow Fact 1- Small but Mighty . Mr Freeburn set out to find out more about those who died, their personal stories and the tales of those left behind. With the surrender of France in June 1940, Germanys sole remaining enemy lay across the English Channel. (Some authors count this as the second raid of four). It has been reported that on Easter Tuesday, Belfast suffered the highest loss of life of any city in the UK in a single raid. In the east of the city, Westbourne and Newcastle Streets on the Newtownards Road, Thorndyke Street off the Albertbridge Road and Ravenscroft Avenue were destroyed or damaged. Both planes quickly proved their mettle against German bombers, and Germanys best fighter, the Bf 109, was of limited use as an escort due to its relatively short operating range. Death should be dignified, peaceful; Hitler had made even death grotesque. The Germans established that Belfast was defended by only seven anti-aircraft batteries, which made it the most poorly defended city in the United Kingdom. Many in Northern Ireland thought that Belfast was outside the range of the Luftwaffe. There was unease with the complacent attitude of the government, which led to resignations: Craigavon died on 24 November 1940. By mid-September 1940 the RAF had won the Battle of Britain, and the invasion was postponed indefinitely. After the war, when the first girl from the home got married Billy gave her away, having lost his only daughter. After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged displaced people to take shelter at South Hallsville School. But the raid of 15-16 April - the Easter Tuesday Raid - was on another scale. Belfast Blitz - Wikipedia Humanity knows no borders, no politics, no differences of religious belief. An air raid shelter on Hallidays Road received a direct hit, killing all those in it. On September 1, 1939, the day World War II began with Germanys invasion of Poland, the British government implemented a massive evacuation plan. The ill-fated ship was built in the city in 1912, and to this day, there is a museum dedicated to its building and the lives of all of those on board. The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham. There are other diarists and narratives. The Belfast Blitz - Inside the Deadly 1941 Luftwaffe Raids on Northern Protection of the city fell to seven anti-aircraft batteries of 16 heavy guns and six light guns. Indeed, on the night of the first raid, no Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft took to the air to intercept German planes. Video, 00:03:09, Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Read about our approach to external linking. The first was on the night of 7-8 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. Six Heinkel He 111 bombers, from Kampfgruppe 26, flying at 7,000 feet (2,100m), dropped incendiaries, high explosive and parachute-mines. While Anderson shelters offered good protection from bomb fragments and debris, they were cold and damp and generally ill-suited for prolonged occupancy. He went to the Mater Hospital at 2pm, nine hours after the raid ended, to find the street with a traffic jam of ambulances waiting to admit their casualties. VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. Interesting facts about Belfast | Just Fun Facts Munster, for example, operated by the Belfast Steamship Company, plied between Belfast and Liverpool under the tricolour, until she hit a mine and was sunk outside Liverpool. In spite of blackouts, ubiquitous shelters and sandbags, the visible effects of mass evacuation, the presence of A.R.P. He was succeeded by J. M. Andrews, then 69 years old, who was no more capable of dealing with the situation than his predecessor. Two of the crews received refreshments in Banbridge; others were entertained in the Ancient Order of Hibernians hall in Newry. Belfast has the world's largest dry dock. Roads out of town are still one stream of cars, with mattresses and bedding tied on top. Belfast was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. Video, 00:01:41, The German bombing of Coventry. The 2017 film Zoo depicts an air raid during the Belfast Blitz. The district of Belfast has an area of 44 square miles (115 square km). No searchlights were set up in the city at the time, and these only arrived on 10 April. In the eight months of attacks, some 43,000 civilians were killed. Authorities quickly implemented plans to protect Londoners from bombs and to house those left homeless by the attacks. This view was probably influenced by the decision of the IRA Army Council to support Germany. It lies where the Lagan River flows into a part of the Irish Sea. Belfast, the city with the highest population density in the UK at the time, also had the lowest proportion of public air-raid shelters. The most heavily bombed area was that which lay between York Street and the Antrim Road, north of the city centre. Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. Revised estimates made decades later indicated that close to 600 men, women, and children had been killed in the bombing. He was asked, in the N.I. BBC News | NORTHERN IRELAND | The Belfast blitz is remembered Even the children of soldiers had not been evacuated, with calamitous results when the married quarters of Victoria Barracks received a direct hit. Belfast was the birthplace of the RMS Titanic, the world' most famous ship which, when it was constructed in the early 1900s, was longer than the height of the world's tallest building at 882 feet and six inches in length. Liverpool, for example, protected by 100 guns. 3. Belfast made a considerable contribution towards the Allied war effort, producing many naval ships, aircraft and munitions; therefore, the city was deemed a suitable bombing target by the Luftwaffe. Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Hundreds of incendiary and many high-explosive bombs were dropped, doing little material damage but causing many casualties. This type of shelteressentially a low steel cage large enough to contain two adults and two small childrenwas designed to be set up indoors and could serve as a refuge if the building began to collapse. It remains a high death toll - a shocking number of people killed in just a few weeks. 14 Breathtaking Facts about Belfast - Fact City Although there were some comparatively slight raids later in 1941, the most notable one on July 27, the May 1011 attack marked the conclusion of the Blitz. In Bristol, the bombed-out ruins of St Peter's Church were left standing with added memorial plaques to the civilians who were killed. Some are a total loss; others are already under repair with little outward sign of the damage sustained: Besides Buckingham palace, the chapel of which was wrecked, and Guildhall (the six-centuries old centre of London civic ceremonies and of great architectural beauty), which was destroyed by fire, Kensington palace (the London home of the earl of Athlone, governor general of Canada, and the birthplace of Queen Mary and Queen Victoria), the banqueting hall of Eltham palace (dating from King Johns time and long a royal residence), Lambeth palace (the archbishop of Canterbury), and Holland house (famous for its 17th century domestic architecture, its political associations, and its art treasures), suffered, the latter severely. Other targets included Sheffield, Manchester, Coventry, and Southampton. Where they are going, what they will find to eat when they get there, nobody knows. "They have never been published before, never seen the light of day.". For two hours on the first day, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters blasted London. It was not the last time Belfast would suffer. Victory for the Royal Air Forces (RAFs) Fighter Command blocked this possibility and, in fact, created the conditions for Britains survival and the eventual destruction of the Third Reich. Only four were known still to be alive. [citation needed]. Belfast was Ireland's industrial home, famous for tobacco, rope-making, linen, and ship-building, which made it the powerhouse it was. On August 25 the British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin. "We can still see the physical scars of the Blitz in Belfast, that is what is left. He spoke with Professor Flynn, (Theodore Thomson Flynn, an Australian based at the Mater Hospital and father of actor Errol Flynn), head of the casualty service for the city, who told him of "casualties due to shock, blast and secondary missiles, such as glass, stones, pieces of piping, etc." The bombs caused death and destruction across the city, affecting those of all religions and political backgrounds. Other Belfast factories manufactured gun mountings. Between April 7 and May 6 of that year, Luftwaffe bombers unleashed death and destruction on the cities of Belfast, Bangor, Derry/Londonderry and Newtownards. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. The Blitz began at around 4 pm on September 7, 1940, when German bomber planes first appeared over London. ", US journalist Ben Robertson reported that at night Dublin was the only city without a blackout between New York and Moscow, and between Lisbon and Sweden and that German bombers often flew overhead to check their bearings using its lights, angering the British. Jimmy Doherty, an air raid warden (who later served in London during the V1 and V2 blitz), who wrote a book on the Belfast blitz; London seemed ablaze from the docks to Westminster, much damage was done, and casualties were high. On 28 April 1943, six members of the Government threatened to resign, forcing him from office. Learn how your comment data is processed. In Newtownards, Bangor, Larne, Carrickfergus, Lisburn and Antrim many thousands of Belfast citizens took refuge either with friends or strangers. By the. Belfast was ill-prepared for the blitz. Brian Barton of Queen's University, Belfast, has written most on this topic.[19]. The night raids on London continued into 1941, and January 1011 saw exceptionally heavy attacks; the Mansion House (residence of the lord mayor of London) and the Bank of England narrowly avoided destruction when a bomb fell directly between them, creating a gigantic crater. The Blitz: When Was It, Why Did It Begin And How Did It End The "Hiram Plan" initiated by Dawson Bates, the Home Affairs Minister, had failed to materialise. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Historical Topics Series 2, The Belfast Blitz, 2007, This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 20:18. [12], There was little preparation for the conflict with Germany. The Germans expanded the Blitz to other cities in November 1940. Gring had insisted that such an attack was an impossibility, because of the citys formidable air defense network. The refugees looked dazed and horror stricken and many had neglected to bring more than a few belongings Any and every means of exit from the city was availed of and the final destination appeared to be a matter of indifference. Unlike N Ireland, the Irish Free State was no longer part of the UK. At the start of World War Two, Belfast had considered itself safe from an aerial attack, as the city's leaders believed that Belfast was simply too far away for Luftwaffe bombers to reach - assuming that they would have to fly from Nazi Germany. The Blitz was devastating for the people of London and other cities. He believed that this was being done already but it was inevitable that a certain number of civilian lives should be lost in the course of heavy bombing from the air". On the ground, there were only 22 anti-aircraft guns positioned around the city, six light and 16 heavy, and on the first night only seven of these were manned and operational. At the time of the first attack in April 1941, there were no operational searchlights, too few anti-aircraft batteries and scarcely enough public air raid shelters for a quarter of the population. Poor visibility on the night meant that the accuracy of the bombers was hampered and the explosives were dropped on densely populated areas of Belfast. The South Hallsville School disaster prompted Londoners, especially residents of the East End, to find safer shelters, on their own if necessary. The most significant loss was a 4.5-acre (1.8ha) factory floor for manufacturing the fuselages of Short Stirling bombers. He gave an interview saying: "the people of Belfast are Irish people too". Fortunately, the railway telegraphy link between Belfast and Dublin was still operational. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. Since 1:45am all telephones had been cut. Major Sen O'Sullivan reported on the intensity of the bombing in some areas, such as the Antrim Road, where bombs "fell within fifteen to twenty yards of one another." Some 900 people died as a result of the bombing and 1,500 were injured. This part of Belfast was the only one required to provide air raid shelters for workers. Despite the military and industrial importance of the city, the Luftwaffe described the defences asweak, scanty, insufficient. There is no slacking in our loyalty. Nevertheless, for all the hardship it caused, the campaign proved to be a strategic mistake by the Germans. The winter of 193940 was severe, but the summer was pleasant, and in their leisure hours Londoners thronged the parks or worked in their gardens. The Germans, however, saw Belfast as a legitimate target due to the shipyards in the city that were contributing to Britain's war efforts. Video, 00:00:46, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. This raid overall caused relatively little damage, but a lot was revealed about Belfast's inadequate defences. A Raid From Above the Blitz, (September 7, 1940May 11, 1941), intense bombing campaign undertaken by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II. One of every six Londoners was made homeless at some point during the Blitz, and at least 1.1 million houses and flats were damaged or destroyed. 2023 BBC. [6] It was MacDermott who sent a telegram to de Valera seeking assistance. On September 10, 1940, the school was flattened by a German bomb, and people huddled in the basement were killed or trapped in the rubble. Targets identified included: the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory; the Belfast power station and waterworks; Other maps uncovered following the Second World War also showed the parliament and city hall, Belfast gasworks, a rope factory and the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. Omissions? The famous Harland and Wolff cranes are called Samson and Goliath. Weighing 46,328 tonnes, Titanic was to be the largest manmade moveable object the world had ever seen. As the UK was preparing for the conflict, the factories and shipyards of Belfast were gearing up. Video, 00:00:26The German bombing of Coventry, Living through the London Blitz. It was solemn, tragic, dignified, but here it was grotesque, repulsive, horrible. The Belfast blitz is remembered. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. In the first days of the Blitz, a tragic incident in the East End stoked public anger over the governments shelter policy. 9. Prayers were said and hymns sung by the mainly Protestant women and children during the bombing. Half of the city's housing was damaged over the course of all the raids. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . Video, 00:00:51, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. Although it arrested German spies that its police and military intelligence services caught, the state never broke off diplomatic relations with Axis nations: the German Legation in Dublin remained open throughout the war. to households. 55,000 houses were damaged leaving 100,000 temporarily homeless. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. Belfast Blitz: The Luftwaffe attacks Northern Ireland - WartimeNI
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