At 10:40pm the air raid sirens sounded. "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. You can see the difference in those letters - post-Blitz is very much a grieving tone. Over the course of three days, some 1.5 million civiliansthe overwhelming majority of them childrenwere transported from urban centres to rural areas that were believed to be safe. The Luftwaffe had lost more than 600 aircraft, and, although the RAF had lost fewer than half that many, the battle was claiming British fighters and experienced pilots at too great a rate. Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go. 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". Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), The Belfast Blitz Inside the Deadly 1941 Luftwaffe Raids on Northern Ireland, Dutch Weapons and American Independence How the United Provinces Made a Fortune Supplying Muskets in the Revolutionary War , USS Devilfish The Curious Case of the Only U.S. Navy Submarine to be Attacked by a Kamikaze, The Chinchas War Inside the Little-Known Conflict Between Peru and Spain Over Animal Turds, The Battle for Nassau Inside the First Overseas Mission for Americas Marines, Mustang vs. Corsair Inside the U.S. Navys 1944 Match-Up Between the Two Fighters, Stickin It To Em The Last of the Great Bayonet Charges, Bloody First Contact When Vikings Clashed with Native North Americans, Battlefield Stalingrad Four Maps That Tell the Story of World War Twos Pivotal Struggle. More than 1,000 people were killed, and the damage was more widespread than on any previous occasion. When the bombing began, 76-year-old William and 72-year-old Harriette took refuge under the stairs along with Dorothy, Dot and Isa. For more than six months, German planes had flown reconnaissance flights over Belfast. In addition, there simply was not enough space for everyone who needed shelter in one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. Many bodies and body parts could not be identified. The "pothole blitz" is a common short-term initiative to combat storm weather damage. On August 2, Luftwaffe commander Hermann Gring issued his Eagle Day directive, laying down a plan of attack in which a few massive blows from the air were to destroy British air power and so open the way for the invasion. London was bombed for 57 consecutive nights from 7 September 1940 There were few bomb shelters. 24 - The tyres Dunlop were invented in Belfast in 1887 25 - The two H&W cranes are named Samson and Goliath 26 - The Albert Clock is Ireland's leaning tower 27 - The mobile defibrillator was invented in Belfast 28 - Belfast's ice hockey team, the Giants, is one of the best in Europe. The attacks by both V1's and V2's only ended as the Allies advanced up through Western Europe . Read about our approach to external linking. The initial human cost of the Blitz was lower than the government had expected, but the level of destruction exceeded the governments dire predictions. the Blitz, (September 7, 1940May 11, 1941), intense bombing campaign undertaken by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 55,000 British civilian casualties were sustained through German bombing before the end of 1940 This included 23,000 deaths. Video, 00:01:23Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds, One-minute World News. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. Belfast was Ireland's industrial home, famous for tobacco, rope-making, linen, and ship-building, which made it the powerhouse it was. St. Giles, Cripplegate, and St. Mary Wolnooth, also in the city, were damaged, while the Dutch church in Austin Friars, dating from the 14th century and covering a larger area than any church in the city of London, St. Pauls alone excepted, was totally destroyed. Because basements, a logical destination in the event of an air raid, were a relative rarity in Britain, the A.R.P. Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. By then 250 firemen from Clydeside had arrived. 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. About 1,000 people were killed during the Belfast Blitz of 1941, with Harland and Wolff among the buildings that were hit by the Luftwaffe. These shelters were vital as these factories had many employees working late at night and early in the morning when Luftwaffe attacks were likely. 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. When the war began, Belfast, like many other cities, adopted the wartime practices of rationing and blackouts. Outside of London, with some 900 dead, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Blitz. On May 11, 1941, Hitler called off the Blitz as he shifted his forces eastward against the Soviet Union. The British government had anticipated air attacks on its population centres, and it had predicted catastrophic casualties. ", Dawson Bates, the Home Affairs Minister, apparently refused to reply to army correspondence and when the Ministry of Home Affairs was informed by imperial defence experts in 1939 that Belfast was regarded as "a very definite German objective", little was done outside providing shelters in the Harbour area.[14]. The mass relocation, called Operation Pied Piper, was the largest internal migration in British history. Belfast was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. And then naturally as I was over the target, I did pick up flak but I have no sense of exactly how weak or how strong it was, because every bit of flak you get is dangerous.. A short respite followed, until a widespread series of night raids on April 7 included some targets in the London area. Since most casualties were caused by falling masonry rather than by blast, they provided effective shelter for those who had them. 13 died, including a soldier killed when an anti-aircraft gun, at the Balmoral show-grounds, misfired. James Craig, Lord Craigavon, had been Prime Minister of Northern Ireland since its inception in 1921 up until his death in 1940. Their Chain Home early warning radar, the most advanced system in the world, gave Fighter Command adequate notice of where and when to direct their forces, and the Luftwaffe never made a concerted effort to neutralize it. In the eight months of attacks, some 43,000 civilians were killed. [4], The Government of Northern Ireland lacked the will, energy and capacity to cope with a major crisis when it came. Indeed, on the night of the first raid, no Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft took to the air to intercept German planes. 29 - Belfast was once bigger than Dublin [9], War materials and food were sent by sea from Belfast to Great Britain, some under the protection of the neutral Irish tricolour. 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. As of October 2020, the population of Belfast is about 350,000 people. During the first year of the war, behind-the-lines conditions prevailed in London. Nine were registered on three separate occasions, and from the start of the Blitz until November 30 there were more than 350 alerts. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. Unlike N Ireland, the Irish Free State was no longer part of the UK. 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). [19], 220,000 people fled from the city. The shipyard was among the largest in the world, producing merchant vessels and military shipping. 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. 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. Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. 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. He was replaced by 54-year-old Sir Basil Brooke on 1 May. As many as 5,000 people had packed into this network of underground tunnels, which was dangerously overcrowded, dirty, and dark. By 6am, within two hours of the request for assistance, 71 firemen with 13 fire tenders from Dundalk, Drogheda, Dublin, and Dn Laoghaire were on their way to cross the Irish border to assist their Belfast colleagues. 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. Several theatres and many cinemas were open, and there were even a few sporting events. He successfully busied himself with the task of making Northern Ireland a major supplier of food to Britain in her time of need.[5]. 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. On 4-5 May, another raid, made up of 204 bombers, killed another 203 people and the following night 22 more died. Three nights later (April 1920) London was again subjected to a seven-hour raid, and the loss of life was considerable, especially among firefighters and the A.R.P. 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. ", Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz. Brian Barton of Queen's University, Belfast, has written most on this topic.[19]. Video, 00:00:46, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. The bombs continued to fall until 5am. 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. 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." Blitz Fibre UK Blitz Fibre UK Published Mar 1, 2023 + Follow Fact 1- Small but Mighty . It would appear that Adolf Hitler, in view of de Valera's negative reaction, was concerned that de Valera and Irish American politicians might encourage the United States to enter the war. Protection of the city fell to seven anti-aircraft batteries of 16 heavy guns and six light guns. The fall of France in June, 1940, enabled the Luftwaffe to establish airfields across the north of the country, leaving Ulster within reach of bombers. The youngest victim was just six-weeks-old. 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. It remains a high death toll - a shocking number of people killed in just a few weeks. "They have never been published before, never seen the light of day.". The raid so infuriated Hitler that he ordered the Luftwaffe to shift its attacks from RAF sites to London and other cities. Burke Street which ran between Annadale and Dawson streets in the New Lodge area, was completely wiped off the map with all its 20 houses flattened and all of the occupants killed.[16]. They remained for three days, until they were sent back by the Northern Ireland government. It was solemn, tragic, dignified, but here it was grotesque, repulsive, horrible. Sixty years after the Germans bombed Belfast in World War II BBC News Online looks back and remembers the anniversary of the blitz. [6] It was MacDermott who sent a telegram to de Valera seeking assistance. The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham. One, Tom Coleman, attended to receive recognition for his colleagues' solidarity at such a critical time. The most significant loss was a 4.5-acre (1.8ha) factory floor for manufacturing the fuselages of Short Stirling bombers. When Germany bombed Belfast as part of the Blitz during World War Two, the massive air raids left more than a thousand people dead. [25] He followed up with his "they are our people" speech, made in Castlebar, County Mayo, on Sunday 20 April 1941 (Quoted in the Dundalk Democrat dated Saturday 26 April 1941): In the past, and probably in the present, too, a number of them did not see eye to eye with us politically, but they are our people we are one and the same people and their sorrows in the present instance are also our sorrows; and I want to say to them that any help we can give to them in the present time we will give to them whole-heartedly, believing that were the circumstances reversed they would also give us their help whole-heartedly Frank Aiken, the Irish Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures was in Boston, Massachusetts at the time. continuous trek to railway stations. Moya Woodside[23] noted in her diary: "Evacuation is taking on panic proportions. The Belfast blitz. "But there is no such equivalent in Belfast. However that attack was not an error. That evening over 150 bombers left their bases in northern France and the Netherlands and headed for Belfast. People are leaving from all parts of town and not only from the bombed areas. 150 corpses remained in the Falls Road baths for three days before they were buried in a mass grave, with 123 still unidentified. ISBN 9781909556324. Another claim was that the Catholic population in general and the IRA in particular guided the bombers. The creeping TikTok bans. Nevertheless, for all the hardship it caused, the campaign proved to be a strategic mistake by the Germans. "[22], In his opinion, the greatest want was the lack of hospital facilities. parliament: "if the government realized 'that these fast bombers can come to Northern Ireland in two and three quarter hours'". Belfast, Irish Bal Feirste, city, district, and capital of Northern Ireland, on the River Lagan, at its entrance to Belfast Lough (inlet of the sea). Belfast Blitz: Facts In total there were four attacks on the County Antrim city. Over 100 German planes made contact with barrage balloon cables during the Blitz, and two-thirds of them crashed or made forced landings on British soil. Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland . In 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War, an invitation was received by the Dublin Fire Brigade for any survivors of that time to attend a function at Hillsborough Castle and meet Prince Charles. Video, 00:00:46Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. 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. They all say the same thing, that the government is no good. [citation needed]. His reply was: "We here today are in a state of war and we are prepared with the rest of the United Kingdom and Empire to face all the responsibilities that imposes on the Ulster people. 10,000 "officially" crossed the border. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. Omissions? Tragically 35 were crushed to death when the mill wall collapsed.
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