10 facts about the belfast blitz

Emma Duffin, a nurse at the Queen's University Hospital, (who previously served during the Great War), who kept a diary; Where they are going, what they will find to eat when they get there, nobody knows. During the whole period, although the citys operation was disrupted in ways that were sometimes serious, no essential service was more than temporarily impaired. More than 1,000 people were killed, and the damage was more widespread than on any previous occasion. While the balloons themselves were an obvious deterrent, they were anchored to the ground by steel tethers that were strong enough to damage or destroy any aircraft that flew into them. When the bombing began, 76-year-old William and 72-year-old Harriette took refuge under the stairs along with Dorothy, Dot and Isa. By then 250 firemen from Clydeside had arrived. Neighbouring residential areas were also hit. 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. [27] One widespread criticism was that the Germans located Belfast by heading for Dublin and following the railway lines north. Many of the surface shelters built by local authorities were flimsy and provided little protection from bombs, falling debris, and fire. Air-raid damage was widespread; hospitals, clubs, churches, museums, residential and shopping streets, hotels, public houses, theatres, schools, monuments, newspaper offices, embassies, and the London Zoo were bombed. It was not the first time the alarm had sounded to signify the presence of Luftwaffe bombers over the city. Other Belfast factories manufactured gun mountings. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. In another building, the York Street Mill, one of its massive sidewalls collapsed on to Sussex and Vere Streets, killing all those who remained in their homes. Video, 00:01:23, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages. The British government had anticipated air attacks on its population centres, and it had predicted catastrophic casualties. Few children had been successfully evacuated. along with England, Scotland, and Wales. It is situated at on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. But the RAF had not responded. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. The Germans expanded the Blitz to other cities in November 1940. Six Heinkel He 111 bombers, from Kampfgruppe 26, flying at 7,000 feet (2,100m), dropped incendiaries, high explosive and parachute-mines. A Raid From Above Air power alone had failed to knock the United Kingdom out of the war. 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. "But there is no such equivalent in Belfast. As of October 2020, the population of Belfast is about 350,000 people. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The Belfast blitz is remembered. The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham. After his optician business was destroyed by a bomb, Mickey Davies led an effort to organize the Spitalfield Shelter. Belfast was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. These balloons, the largest of which were some 60 feet (18 metres) long, were essentially an airspace denial tool. Belfast has the world's largest dry dock. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. Fewer than 4,000 women and children were evacuated. [1][2], The third raid on Belfast took place over the evening and morning of 45 May 1941; 150 were killed. 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. It was solemn, tragic, dignified, but here it was grotesque, repulsive, horrible. (Some authors count this as the second raid of four). Up Next. London was bombed for 57 consecutive nights from 7 September 1940 Video, 00:00:46, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. 55,000 British civilian casualties were sustained through German bombing before the end of 1940 This included 23,000 deaths. 11 churches, two hospitals and two schools were destroyed. 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. At the core of this book is a compelling account of the Luftwaffe's blitz on Belfast in April-May 1941. The World's Most-Famous Ship, The Titanic, was constructed here. Corrections? 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. 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. Blitz Fibre UK Blitz Fibre UK Published Mar 1, 2023 + Follow Fact 1- Small but Mighty . In the first days of the Blitz, a tragic incident in the East End stoked public anger over the governments shelter policy. Video, 00:00:51Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . From papers recovered after the war, we know of a Luftwaffe reconnaissance flight over Belfast on 30 November 1940. At 10:40pm the air raid sirens sounded. Mr Freeburn set out to find out more about those who died, their personal stories and the tales of those left behind. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. By 1941, production of the Short Stirling Bomber and the Short Sunderland Flying Boat was underway. Everything on wheels is being pressed into service. Indeed, on the night of the first raid, no Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft took to the air to intercept German planes. As more and more people began sleeping on the platforms, however, the government relented and provided bunk beds and bathrooms for the underground communities. 7. Most of the objectives laid out by the reconnaissance crews were of either military or industrial importance. Maps and documents uncovered at Gatow Airfield near Berlin in 1945 showed the level of detail involved. 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. Anna and Billy were buried up their necks in sewage but were rescued and survived. Since 1:45am all telephones had been cut. Also, on Queens Island, stood the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory. 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 Battle of Britain The raids hurt Britains war production, but they also killed many civilians and left many others homeless. This hub of industry and trade represented a legitimate military target for the Germans, and some 25,000 bombs were dropped on the Port of London alone. [citation needed] However on 20 October 1941 the Garda Sochna captured a comprehensive IRA report on captured member Helena Kelly giving a detailed analysis of damage inflicted on Belfast and highlighting prime targets such as Shortt and Harland aircraft factory and RAF Sydenham, describing them as 'the remaining and most outstanding objects of military significance, as yet unblitzed' and suggesting they should be 'bombed by the Luftwaffe as thoroughly as other areas in recent raids'[28][29], After three days, sometime after 6pm, the fire crews from south of the border began taking up their hoses and ladders to head for home. 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. The next took place on Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1941, when 200 Luftwaffe bombers attacked military and manufacturing targets in the city of Belfast. Since most casualties were caused by falling masonry rather than by blast, they provided effective shelter for those who had them. 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. ", 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]. sprang into action, and Londoners, while maintaining the work, business, and efficiency of their city, displayed remarkable fortitude. workers. High explosive bombs predominated in this raid. Humanity knows no borders, no politics, no differences of religious belief. Again the Irish emergency services crossed the border, this time without waiting for an invitation. Richard Dawson Bates was the Home Affairs Minister. 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. A Luftwaffe pilot gave this description "We were in exceptional good humour knowing that we were going for a new target, one of England's last hiding places. [26], Initial German radio broadcasts celebrated the raid. 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.. Video, 00:01:38At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. Liverpool, for example, protected by 100 guns. 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. The attacks were authorized by Germany's chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. The Premier Online Military History Magazine, Re-printed with permission fromWartimeNI.com. The A.R.P. Belfast confetti," said one archive news report. On Nov. 30, 1940, a lone Luftwaffe plane flew across the Ards Peninsula unobserved and reported back to Berlin. Sixty years after the Germans bombed Belfast in World War II BBC News Online looks back and remembers the anniversary of the blitz. Later, guided by the raging fires caused by the first attack, a second group of planes began another assault that lasted until 4:30 the following morning. Prayers were said and hymns sung by the mainly Protestant women and children during the bombing. 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). By 4 am the entire city seemed to be in flames. The phrase Business as usual, written in chalk on boarded-up shop windows, exemplified the British determination to keep calm and carry on as best they could. It remains a high death toll - a shocking number of people killed in just a few weeks. In each station volunteers were asked for, as it was beyond their normal duties. [citation needed]. And even then, Westminster stated it was not ample provision; Stormont still worried about the costs to industry. Belfast Blitz: Marking the lost lives 80 years on. Nevertheless, for all the hardship it caused, the campaign proved to be a strategic mistake by the Germans. The Blitz began at around 4 pm on September 7, 1940, when German bomber planes first appeared over London. 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. Even the children of soldiers had not been evacuated, with calamitous results when the married quarters of Victoria Barracks received a direct hit. 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. ", Dawson Bates informed the Cabinet of rack-renting of barns, and over thirty people per house in some areas.[24]. . 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. An earlier flight on Oct. 18 allowed the crew to plot several targets in the city. There wasn't enough room for Anna or Billy, so they sheltered elsewhere, a twist of fate that would save their lives. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. It was the worst wartime raid outside of London in the UK. After the passing of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, it became the seat of the government of Northern Ireland. No searchlights were set up in the city at the time, and these only arrived on 10 April. Simpson shot down one of the Heinkels over Downpatrick. 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. [citation needed], There was a second massive air raid on Belfast on Sunday 45 May 1941, three weeks after that of Easter Tuesday. [citation needed]. The mortuary services had emergency plans to deal with only 200 bodies. A victory for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain would indeed have exposed Great Britain to invasion and occupation. People hung black curtains in their windows so that no lights showed outside their houses. Video, 00:01:37Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. 8. continuous trek to railway stations. Anna and Billy returned to England and continued running the children's home. A short respite followed, until a widespread series of night raids on April 7 included some targets in the London area. Compared to other cities, Belfast was virtually undefended. 6. The success of Mickeys Shelter was another factor that urged the government to improve existing deep shelters and to create new ones. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. [18], Over 900 people died, 1,500 people were injured, 400 of them seriously. IWM C 5424 1. The Royal Air Force announced that Squadron Leader J.W.C. "[22], In his opinion, the greatest want was the lack of hospital facilities. The 'Blitz' - from the German term Blitzkrieg ('lightning war') - was the sustained campaign of aerial bombing attacks on British towns and cities carried out by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) from September 1940 until May 1941. Looking back on the Belfast Blitz, Oberleutnant Becker signed off with the following words: A war is the worst thing that can happen to Mankind. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. Published: September 7, 2020 at 12:00 pm. ", 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. It targeted the docks. 1. Similar initiatives bearing the same name were ordered in the past decade by former mayors Libby . In clear weather, targets were easily identifiable. St George's Church in High Street was damaged by fire. Streets heavily bombed in the city centre included High Street, Ann Street, Callender Street, Chichester Street, Castle Street, Tomb Street, Bridge Street (effectively obliterated), Rosemary Street, Waring Street, North Street, Victoria Street, Donegall Street, York Street, Gloucester Street, and East Bridge Street. Death should be dignified, peaceful; Hitler had made even death grotesque. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. 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. Apart from those on London, this was the greatest loss of life in any night raid during the Blitz.