It was not the last time Belfast would suffer. ", Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz. Thank you. The Luftwaffe crews returned to their base in Northern France and reported that Belfast's defences were, "inferior in quality, scanty and insufficient". "Through resources such as the Public Records Office and ancestry and genealogy websites I managed to get about 100 photos - which is about one tenth of the victims," he says. By Jonathan Bardon. 10 fascinating facts about Belfast that you probably didn't know Belfast, the city with the highest population density in the UK at the time, also had the lowest proportion of public air-raid shelters. Just eight days earlier, eight planes destroyed the aircraft fuselage factory and damaged the docks, with 15 people ultimately killed as a result of that raid. It is perhaps true that many saved their lives running but I am afraid a much greater number lost them or became casualties."[20]. Tragically 35 were crushed to death when the mill wall collapsed. Video, 00:00:46, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. Sir Basil Brooke, the Minister of Agriculture, was the only active minister. 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". The use of the Tube system as a shelter saved thousands of lives, and images of Londoners huddled in Underground stations would become an indelible image of British life during World War II. The sense of relative calm was abruptly shattered in the first week of September 1940, when the war came to London in earnest. A modern bomb census has attempted to pinpoint the location of every bomb dropped on London during the Blitz, and the visualization of that data makes clear how thoroughly the Luftwaffe saturated the city. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. During the whole period, although the citys operation was disrupted in ways that were sometimes serious, no essential service was more than temporarily impaired. During what was known as the "Belfast Blitz," 1,000 people were killed by bombs dropped by the Nazis in 1941 during the Second World War. Guided by Davies, the people of the shelter created an ad hoc government and established a set of rules. On 4-5 May, another raid, made up of 204 bombers, killed another 203 people and the following night 22 more died. There was no smokescreen ability, however there were some barrage balloons positioned strategically for protection. However they were not in a position to communicate with the Germans, and information recovered from Germany after the war showed that the planning of the blitz was based entirely on German aerial reconnaissance. Government apathy, a lack of leadership and a belief the Luftwaffe could not reach Belfast lead to the city lagging behind in terms of basic defences. Van Morrison is from the east part of the city. Days later a group of East Enders occupied the shelter at the upscale Savoy Hotel, and many others began to take refuge in the citys underground railway, or Tube, stations. These figures are based on newspaper reports of the time, personal recollections and other primary sources, such as:- John Wood Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre in Belfast in 1887. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. [citation needed], On Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1941, spectators watching a football match at Windsor Park noticed a lone Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88 aircraft circling overhead.[15]. The initial human cost of the Blitz was lower than the government had expected, but the level of destruction exceeded the governments dire predictions. 13 Facts You Didn't Know About Belfast The next took. The past doesnt change, its just over.. More than 500 German planes dropped more than 700 tons of bombs across the city, killing nearly 1,500 people and destroying 11,000 homes. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Video, 00:02:54Living through the London Blitz, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire. The Battle of Britain 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. Indeed, on the night of the first raid, no Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft took to the air to intercept German planes. The government announced that 77 people had died, but for years local residents insisted the toll was much higher. "These people are often seen as a statistic but they were human beings, people who lived and grew up in - or moved to - Belfast and died in Belfast," Mr Freeburn, the museum's collections officer, says. It was the worst wartime raid outside of London in the UK. There was no opposition. But the raid of 15-16 April - the Easter Tuesday Raid - was on another scale. Video, 00:01:38At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. Death should be dignified, peaceful; Hitler had made even death grotesque. The creeping TikTok bans. Many bodies and body parts could not be identified. 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. Video, 00:01:15The Belfast blitz, Up Next. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. 2. 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. Belfast | History, Population, Map, Landmarks, & Facts Just before Easter 1941, Anna and Billy Burdett and their 12-year-old daughter, Dorothy, returned to Belfast from England to visit Anna's family. Video, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. All were exhausted. There wasn't enough room for Anna or Billy, so they sheltered elsewhere, a twist of fate that would save their lives. On May 11, 1941, Hitler called off the Blitz as he shifted his forces eastward against the Soviet Union. J.P. Walshe, assistant secretary, recorded that Hempel was "clearly distressed by the news of the severe raid on Belfast and especially of the number of civilian casualties." He was asked, in the N.I. BBC News | NORTHERN IRELAND | The Belfast blitz is remembered Video, 00:03:09Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz, Belfast City Hall in darkness as the Blitz is marked, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. TOP 10: Facts About Belfast You Didn't Know - Ireland Before You Die During the first year of the war, behind-the-lines conditions prevailed in London. By the middle of December it had reached nearly 1,700,000 (adjusted for inflation, this was the equivalent of roughly 100 million in 2020). "There will always be people who will slip through the net but I am able to say at least 987 were killed across all raids.". Oakland plans to unleash 'pothole blitz' to fix notorious street damage At 10:40 on the evening of Easter Tuesday 1941 air raid sirens sounded across Belfast, sending people across the city scrambling for safety - in one of the 200 public shelters in the city or the thousands of shelters or other "safe" spaces in private homes. Harland and Wolff: The troubled history of Belfast's shipyard The first day of the Blitz is remembered as Black Saturday. 4. Sixty years after the Germans bombed Belfast in World War II BBC News Online looks back and remembers the anniversary of the blitz. As well as these two major targets, other firms in Belfast produced valuable materials for the war effort including munitions, linen, ropes, food supplies and, of course, cigarettes. Many of the surface shelters built by local authorities were flimsy and provided little protection from bombs, falling debris, and fire. This option had been forbidden by city officials, who feared that once people began sleeping in Underground stations, they would be reluctant to return to the surface and resume daily life. 2023 BBC. [citation needed]. Corrections? 19.99. At the beginning of the Blitz, British ack ack gunners struggled to inflict meaningful damage on German bombers, but later developments in radar guidance greatly improved the effectiveness of both antiaircraft artillery and searchlights. Everything on wheels is being pressed into service. Read about our approach to external linking. It was not the first time the alarm had sounded to signify the presence of Luftwaffe bombers over the city. 1. Several accounts point out that Belfast, standing at the end of the long inlet of Belfast Lough, would be easily located. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. 14 Breathtaking Facts about Belfast - Fact City The raids on London primarily targeted the Docklands area of the East End. 2. Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. Prayers were said and hymns sung by the mainly Protestant women and children during the bombing. 55,000 British civilian casualties were sustained through German bombing before the end of 1940 This included 23,000 deaths. the Blitz, (September 7, 1940May 11, 1941), intense bombing campaign undertaken by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II. Fewer than 4,000 women and children were evacuated. Video, 00:00:51, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. His report concluded with: "a second Belfast would be too horrible to contemplate". 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. British Spies and Irish Rebels by Paul McMahon, Report by the Garda Sochna 23 October 1941 IMA G2/1722, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Irish Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures, "Eamon de Valera and Hitler: An Analysis of International Reaction to the Visit to the German Minister, May 1945", "Extracts from an article, "The Belfast Blitz, 1941", "Historical Topics Series 2 The Belfast Blitz", "Your Place and Mine The Belfast Blitz", "Northern Ireland Parliamentary Elections Results: Biographies", "Belfast Blitz: The night death and destruction rained down on city", "Multitext - the Blitz - Belfast during the second World War", http://www.niwarmemorial.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/The_Belfast_Blitz.pdf, http://www.proni.gov.uk/historical_topics_series_-_02_-_the_belfast_blitz.pdf, Extracts from an article on The Belfast Blitz, 1941. [18], Over 900 people died, 1,500 people were injured, 400 of them seriously. Lecturer of History, Queens University, Belfast, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Belfast_Blitz&oldid=1136721396, During the war years, Belfast shipyards built or converted over 3,000 navy vessels, repaired more than 22,000 others and launched over half a million tons of merchant shipping over 140. The seeming normality of life on the Home Front was shattered in 1944 when the first of the V1's landed. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. These balloons, the largest of which were some 60 feet (18 metres) long, were essentially an airspace denial tool. No significant cut was made in necessary social services, and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible. William Joyce (known as "Lord Haw-Haw") announced in radio broadcasts from Hamburg that there will be "Easter eggs for Belfast". Public buildings destroyed or badly damaged included Belfast City Hall's Banqueting Hall, the Ulster Hospital for Women and Children and Ballymacarrett library, (the last two being located on Templemore Avenue). Interesting facts about Belfast. Up to now, we have escaped an attack, said John MacDermott, the Minister for Security, Belfast, on March 24, 1941. 50,000 houses, more than half the houses in the city, were damaged. For two hours on the first day, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters blasted London. London was bombed for 57 consecutive nights from 7 September 1940 Two of the crews received refreshments in Banbridge; others were entertained in the Ancient Order of Hibernians hall in Newry. continuous trek to railway stations. The bombing of British cities - Swansea, Belfast, Glasgow Outside of London, with some 900 dead, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Blitz. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. As many as 5,000 people had packed into this network of underground tunnels, which was dangerously overcrowded, dirty, and dark. Other Belfast factories manufactured gun mountings. In spite of blackouts, ubiquitous shelters and sandbags, the visible effects of mass evacuation, the presence of A.R.P. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . For two hours, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters targeted the city, dropping high-explosive bombs as well as incendiary devices. Video, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Walkie Talkie architect Rafael Violy dies aged 78, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, Mother who killed her five children euthanised. Beginning on Black Saturday, London was attacked on 57 straight nights. The fourth and final Belfast raid took place on the following night, 56 May. The World's Most-Famous Ship, The Titanic, was constructed here. It is believed that the wartime government covered up the death toll because of concern over the effect it would have had on public morale. In his interview, Becker stated that only military objectives were aimed for. The shipyard was among the largest in the world, producing merchant vessels and military shipping. When Germany bombed Belfast as part of the Blitz during World War Two, the massive air raids left more than a thousand people dead. Contributions poured in from every part of the world in such profusion that on October 28 its scope was extended to cover the whole of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. [9], War materials and food were sent by sea from Belfast to Great Britain, some under the protection of the neutral Irish tricolour. There were few bomb shelters. And even then, Westminster stated it was not ample provision; Stormont still worried about the costs to industry. The bombs continued to fall until 5am. 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. . It became a city by royal charter in 1888. Still, many in Northern Ireland believed no Luftwaffe attack would come. William Joyce "Lord Haw-Haw" announced that "The Fhrer will give you time to bury your dead before the next attack Tuesday was only a sample." Moya Woodside[23] noted in her diary: "Evacuation is taking on panic proportions. Most of the objectives laid out by the reconnaissance crews were of either military or industrial importance. Read about our approach to external linking. I was definitely one of the first over the target and as I flew in there was no great defence because there were not a great many aircraft over the target at that point, recalled Becker. Video, 00:02:12Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. At nightfall the Northern Counties Station was packed from platform gates to entrance gates and still refugees were coming along in a steady stream from the surrounding streets Open military lorries were finally put into service and even expectant mothers and mothers with young children were put into these in the rather heavy drizzle that lasted throughout the evening. Davies also set up medical stations and persuaded off-duty medical personnel to treat the sick and wounded. [6] It was MacDermott who sent a telegram to de Valera seeking assistance. In total over 1,300 houses were demolished, some 5,000 badly damaged, nearly 30,000 slightly damaged while 20,000 required "first aid repairs".[3]. 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}. The House of Commons, Westminster Abbey, and the British Museum were severely damaged, and The Temple was almost completely destroyed. When incendiaries were dropped, the city burned as water pressure was too low for effective firefighting. The attacks were authorized by Germanys chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. ISBN 9781909556324. KS3 History (Environment and society) The Belfast Blitz learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers. Initially it was thought that the Germans had mistaken this reservoir for the harbour and shipyards, where many ships, including HMS Ark Royal were being repaired. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. The working-class living close to industrial centres suffered more than anyone over the course of the four raids. Given Belfast's geographic position, it was considered to be at the fringe of the operational range of German bombers and hence there was no provision for night-fighter aerial cover. "[22], In his opinion, the greatest want was the lack of hospital facilities. [26], Initial German radio broadcasts celebrated the raid. These shelters, made of corrugated steel, were designed to be dug into a garden and then covered with dirt. I felt outraged, I should have felt sympathy, grief, but instead feelings of revulsion and disgust assailed me. He stated that "he would once more tell his government how he felt about the matter and he would ask them to confine the operations to military objectives as far as it was humanly possible. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. The Blitz Around Britain - World War 2 | Imperial War Museums Video, 00:03:09, Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Taoiseach amon de Valera formally protested to Berlin. That evening over 150 bombers left their bases in northern France and the Netherlands and headed for Belfast. [citation needed], There was a second massive air raid on Belfast on Sunday 45 May 1941, three weeks after that of Easter Tuesday. The Royal Air Force announced that Squadron Leader J.W.C. Maps and documents uncovered at Gatow Airfield near Berlin in 1945 showed the level of detail involved. 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. This part of Belfast was the only one required to provide air raid shelters for workers. "They have never been published before, never seen the light of day.". Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. 11 churches, two hospitals and two schools were destroyed. On November 14, 1940, a German force of more than 500 bombers destroyed much of the old city centre and killed more than 550 people. When the house was hit William, Harriette, Dorothy, 36-year-old Dot and 41-year-old Isa were all killed. By British mainland blitz standards, casualties were light. 7. "But there is no such equivalent in Belfast. "Through cross-referencing a number of different sources I have been able to get the most accurate number of people who died in the Blitz," he says. Men from the South worked with men from the North in the universal cause of the relief of suffering. The Blitz | Facts, History, Damage, & Casualties | Britannica In the subsequent years, this lack of preparation has often dominated the discussion about the Belfast Blitz, but a new project led by Alan Freeburn from the Northern Ireland War Memorial aims to shift the focus back to the ordinary men, women and children who lost their lives. Belfast suffered a series of bombing raids in the spring of 1941, which became known as the 'Blitz of Belfast'. Read about our approach to external linking. This view was probably influenced by the decision of the IRA Army Council to support Germany. The firm had produced Handley Page Hereford bombers since 1936. 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. In clear weather, targets were easily identifiable. When the bombing began, 76-year-old William and 72-year-old Harriette took refuge under the stairs along with Dorothy, Dot and Isa. On July 16, 1940, Hitler issued a directive ordering the preparation and, if necessary, execution of Operation Sea Lion, the amphibious invasion of Great Britain. Morale did suffer amid the death and devastation, but there were few calls for surrender. Barton insisted that Belfast was "too far north" to use radio guidance. Another large-scale attack followed on March 19, when hundreds of houses and shops, many churches, six hospitals, and other public buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. There are other diarists and narratives. The first (April 7 -8), a small attack, was most likely carried out to test the city's defenses. In the mistaken belief that they might damage RAF fighters, the anti-aircraft batteries ceased firing. That contrasts with the figure that is often given of more than 900 killed on Easter Tuesday alone. 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. A Raid From Above The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Where they are going, what they will find to eat when they get there, nobody knows. In the eight months of attacks, some 43,000 civilians were killed. along with England, Scotland, and Wales. Published: September 7, 2020 at 12:00 pm. With Britains powerful Royal Navy controlling the surface approaches in the Channel and the North Sea, it fell to the Luftwaffe to establish dominance of the skies above the battle zone. Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go. Video, 00:01:41, The German bombing of Coventry. By the time the raid was over, at least 744 people had lost their lives, including some living in places such as Newtownards, Bangor and Londonderry. The bombing of British cities - Swansea, Belfast, Glasgow Before the war broke out, civilians had been issued with gas masks and Anderson shelters, which people were encouraged to build at the. Heavy jacks were unavailable. Incendiary bombs predominated in this raid. Mr Freeburn set out to find out more about those who died, their personal stories and the tales of those left behind. The South Hallsville School disaster prompted Londoners, especially residents of the East End, to find safer shelters, on their own if necessary. This amounted to nearly half of Britains total civilian deaths for the whole war. . The success of Mickeys Shelter was another factor that urged the government to improve existing deep shelters and to create new ones. "A lot of the people I spoke to were relatives who ended up donating images and handwritten letters from before and after the Blitz. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In Bristol, the bombed-out ruins of St Peter's Church were left standing with added memorial plaques to the civilians who were killed. Video, 00:02:54, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire. The crypt under the sanctuary and the cellar under the working sacristy had been fitted out and opened to the public as an air-raid shelter. Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. Video, 00:01:38, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. What happened in 1941 changed the city forever. No attendant nurse had soothed the last moments of these victims; no gentle reverent hand had closed their eyes or crossed their hands. 7. St George's Church in High Street was damaged by fire. A force of 180 bombers dropped 750 bombs - including 203 tonnes of high explosives - and 29,000 incendiaries over a five-hour period. Belfast was Ireland's industrial home, famous for tobacco, rope-making, linen, and ship-building, which made it the powerhouse it was. Singer-songwriter Van Morrison was born here. Between Black Saturday and December 2, there was no 24-hour period without at least one alertas the alarms came to be calledand generally far more. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Another defensive measure employed by the British was barrage balloonslarge oval-shaped unmanned balloons with stabilizing tail finsinstalled in and around major target areas. There was unease with the complacent attitude of the government, which led to resignations: Craigavon died on 24 November 1940. The first was on the night of 7-8 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. A victory for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain would indeed have exposed Great Britain to invasion and occupation. Anna and Billy were buried up their necks in sewage but were rescued and survived. Authorities quickly implemented plans to protect Londoners from bombs and to house those left homeless by the attacks. The Belfast Blitzconsisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfastin Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. The mass relocation, called Operation Pied Piper, was the largest internal migration in British history.
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