10 facts about the belfast blitz 10 facts about the belfast blitz

After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged displaced people to take shelter at South Hallsville School. We were in exceptional good humour knowing that we were going for a new target, one of Englands last hiding places, said one pilot of the raid. When Germany bombed Belfast as part of the Blitz during World War Two, the massive air raids left more than a thousand people dead. The famous Harland and Wolff cranes are called Samson and Goliath. He believed that key targets identified across the city were hit. 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. The first day of the Blitz is remembered as Black Saturday. 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. Revised estimates made decades later indicated that close to 600 men, women, and children had been killed in the bombing. 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. Again the Irish emergency services crossed the border, this time without waiting for an invitation. 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. ", Dawson Bates informed the Cabinet of rack-renting of barns, and over thirty people per house in some areas.[24]. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The Germans, however, saw Belfast as a legitimate target due to the shipyards in the city that were contributing to Britain's war efforts. 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. 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.. "Liverpool, Clydebank and Portsmouth all have a memorial to their victims of the Blitz. The district of Belfast has an area of 44 square miles (115 square km). Around 20,000 people were employed on the site with 35,000 further along in the shipyard. The nights of November 3 and 28 were the only occasions during this period in which Londons peace was unbroken by siren or bomb. Belfast is as worthy a target as Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol or Glasgow.. Death had to a certain extent been made decent. Author Lawrence H. Dawson detailed the damage to Londons historic buildings for the 1941 Britannica Book of the Year: The following curtailed list identifies some of the better known places in inner London that have been damaged by enemy action. 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. 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. TOP 10: Facts About Belfast You Didn't Know - Ireland Before You Die Beginning on Black Saturday, London was attacked on 57 straight nights. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. The Blitz Around Britain - World War 2 | Imperial War Museums Instead of pressing his advantage, however, Hitler abruptly changed his strategy. Maps and documents uncovered at Gatow Airfield near Berlin in 1945 showed the level of detail involved. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. The working-class living close to industrial centres suffered more than anyone over the course of the four raids. The British government had anticipated air attacks on its population centres, and it had predicted catastrophic casualties. 2. For 57 nightsuntil November 2more than 1 million bombs were dropped on the capital city. WW2: How did an elephant beat the Belfast Blitz? - BBC Teach Some 27 percent of Londoners utilized private shelters, such as Anderson shelters, while the remaining 64 percent spent their evenings on duty with some branch of the civil defense or remained in their own homes. Belfast Blitz - Wikipedia (Some authors count this as the second raid of four). From a purely military perspective, the Blitz was entirely counterproductive to the main purpose of Germanys air offensiveto dominate the skies in advance of an invasion of England. The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham. 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. Barton wrote: "the Catholic population was much more strongly opposed to conscription, was inclined to sympathise with Germany", "there were suspicions that the Germans were assisted in identifying targets, held by the Unionist population." 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. It is situated at on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. devised the Morrison shelter (named for Home Secretary Herbert Stanley Morrison) as an alternative to the Anderson shelter. The bombing of British cities - Swansea, Belfast, Glasgow This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/the-Blitz, National Museums Liverpool - Merseyside Maritime Museum - The Blitz, The History Learning Site - The Blitz and World War Two. The Belfast blitz during World War Two - BBC News But Mr Freeburn's research casts doubt on this. That evening over 150 bombers left their bases in northern France and the Netherlands and headed for Belfast. Rescue workers search through the rubble of Eglington Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland, after a German Luftwaffe air raid, 7 May 1941, Anna (left) and her husband Billy (back right) survived while Harriette, Dorothy and Billy were killed along with Dot and Isa, Dot and Isa, with Dorothy when she was a toddler, Royal Welch Fusiliers assist in clearing bomb damage in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 7 May 1941, Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz. The telegram was sent at 4:35am,[citation needed] asking the Irish Taoiseach, amon de Valera for assistance. [4], The Government of Northern Ireland lacked the will, energy and capacity to cope with a major crisis when it came. While Anderson shelters offered good protection from bomb fragments and debris, they were cold and damp and generally ill-suited for prolonged occupancy. No attendant nurse had soothed the last moments of these victims; no gentle reverent hand had closed their eyes or crossed their hands. Despite the attacks, Belfast continued to contribute to the war effort, and within less than a year the city witnessed the arrival of thousands of American troops. headquarters, Toynbee hall and St. Dunstans; the American, Spanish, Japanese and Peruvian embassies and the buildings of the Times newspaper, the Associated Press of America, and the National City bank of New York; the centre court at Wimbledon, Wembley stadium, the Ring (Blackfriars); Drury Lane, the Queens and the Saville theatres; Rotten row, Lambeth walk, the Burlington arcade and Madame Tussauds. The Germans expanded the Blitz to other cities in November 1940. 50,000 houses, more than half the houses in the city, were damaged. The attacks by both V1's and V2's only ended as the Allies advanced up through Western Europe . O'Sullivan felt that the whole civil defence sector was utterly overwhelmed. The Royal Air Force announced that Squadron Leader J.W.C. 10,000 "officially" crossed the border. In a survey of shelter use, it was found that, although the public shelters were fully occupied every night, just 9 percent of Londoners made use of them. The RAFs Spitfire was a superlative fighter, and it was not always easy for the Germans to distinguish it from the slightly less maneuverable but much more numerous Hurricanes. Read about our approach to external linking. He was replaced by 54-year-old Sir Basil Brooke on 1 May. to households. Since 1:45am all telephones had been cut. 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. Reviewed by: Geoffrey Roberts. 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." The M.V. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. Video, 00:01:37Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. Belfast was ill-prepared for the blitz. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Belfast - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help No searchlights were set up in the city at the time, and these only arrived on 10 April. Major O'Sullivan reported that "In the heavily 'blitzed' areas people ran panic-stricken into the streets and made for the open country. Belfast has the world's largest dry dock. Video, 00:00:46Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. Belfast confetti," said one archive news report. Under the leadership of amon de Valera it had declared its neutrality during the Second World War. This view was probably influenced by the decision of the IRA Army Council to support Germany. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. He gave an interview saying: "the people of Belfast are Irish people too". Streetlights, car headlights, and illuminated signs were kept off. There was no smokescreen ability, however there were some barrage balloons positioned strategically for protection. 255 corpses were laid out in St George's Market. Belfast is famous for being the birthplace of the Titanic. The government was blamed by some for inadequate precautions. Another attacked Bangor, killing five. In the mistaken belief that they might damage RAF fighters, the anti-aircraft batteries ceased firing. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. At the core of this book is a compelling account of the Luftwaffe's blitz on Belfast in April-May 1941. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. That contrasts with the figure that is often given of more than 900 killed on Easter Tuesday alone. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. 3. Few children had been successfully evacuated. Barton insisted that Belfast was "too far north" to use radio guidance. continuous trek to railway stations. Video, 00:01:15The Belfast blitz, Up Next. The British thus fought with the advantage of superior equipment and undivided aim against an enemy with inconsistent objectives. The database Mr Freeburn has compiled is, he believes, the most accurate list of those killed and includes 222 children aged 16 or under. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. The sense of relative calm was abruptly shattered in the first week of September 1940, when the war came to London in earnest. 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 September 10, 1940, the school was flattened by a German bomb, and people huddled in the basement were killed or trapped in the rubble. But these people all had families and friends and they had to deal with their loss for the rest of their lives.". The most heavily bombed area was that which lay between York Street and the Antrim Road, north of the city centre. It was not the first time the alarm had sounded to signify the presence of Luftwaffe bombers over the city. 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. On 4-5 May, another raid, made up of 204 bombers, killed another 203 people and the following night 22 more died. Nevertheless, through sheer weight of numbers, the Germans were on the brink of victory in late August 1940. The wartime output of the yard included aircraft carriers HMS Formidable and HMS Unicorn, cruisers such as HMS Belfast and more than 130 other vessels used by the Royal Navy. London seemed ablaze from the docks to Westminster, much damage was done, and casualties were high. Many of those who died as a result of enemy action lived in tightly packed, poorly constructed, terraced housing. 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. In Bristol, the bombed-out ruins of St Peter's Church were left standing with added memorial plaques to the civilians who were killed. 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. Men from the South worked with men from the North in the universal cause of the relief of suffering. 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. The Blitz of Belfast 1941 - History Learning Site A force of 180 bombers dropped 750 bombs - including 203 tonnes of high explosives - and 29,000 incendiaries over a five-hour period. But the RAF had not responded. Video, 00:00:26The German bombing of Coventry, Living through the London Blitz. The Luftwaffe crews returned to their base in Northern France and reported that Belfast's defences were, "inferior in quality, scanty and insufficient". The couple, who ran a children's home, stayed with Anna's parents, William and Harriette Denby, and her sisters, Dot and Isa, at Evelyn Gardens, off the Cavehill Road, in the north of the city. The South Hallsville School disaster prompted Londoners, especially residents of the East End, to find safer shelters, on their own if necessary. Londoners enjoyed three weeks of uneasy peace until May 1011, the night of a full moon, when the Luftwaffe launched the most intense raid of the Blitz. Around 1am, Luftwaffe bombers flew over the city, concentrating their attack on the Harbour Estate and Queen's Island. It is perhaps true that many saved their lives running but I am afraid a much greater number lost them or became casualties."[20]. 10 Facts About the Blitz and the Bombing of Germany 10 fascinating facts about Belfast that you probably didn't know 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. The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive. The World's Most-Famous Ship, The Titanic, was constructed here. And even then, Westminster stated it was not ample provision; Stormont still worried about the costs to industry. Video, 00:02:54, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire. On April 16 an attack even fiercer and more indiscriminate than those of the previous autumn started at 9:00 pm and continued until 5:00 the following morning; 500 aircraft were believed to have flown over in continuous waves, raining an estimated 450 tons of bombs across the city. 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. Belfast was largely unprepared for an attack of such a scale as 200 German bombers shelled the city on 15 April 1941. The bombs continued to fall until 5am. The initial human cost of the Blitz was lower than the government had expected, but the level of destruction exceeded the governments dire predictions. 29 interesting facts about Belfast you never knew - BeeLoved City The creeping TikTok bans. [21] Mass graves for the unclaimed bodies were dug in the Milltown and Belfast City Cemeteries. Read about our approach to external linking. [27] One widespread criticism was that the Germans located Belfast by heading for Dublin and following the railway lines north. As of October 2020, the population of Belfast is about 350,000 people. From their photographs, they identified suitable targets: There had been a number of small bombings, probably by planes that missed their targets over the River Clyde in Glasgow or the cities of the northwest of England. Another defensive measure employed by the British was barrage balloonslarge oval-shaped unmanned balloons with stabilizing tail finsinstalled in and around major target areas. That night almost 300 people, many from the Protestant Shankill area, took refuge in the Clonard Monastery in the Catholic Falls Road. James Craig, Lord Craigavon, had been Prime Minister of Northern Ireland since its inception in 1921 up until his death in 1940. 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. London was bombed for 57 consecutive nights from 7 September 1940 2023 BBC. He described some distressing consequences, such as how "in one case the leg and arm of a child had to be amputated before it could be extricated. When a bombing raid was imminent, air-raid sirens were set off to sound a warning. Humanity knows no borders, no politics, no differences of religious belief. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. Everything on wheels is being pressed into service. 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. Very early in the German bombing campaign, it became clear that the preparationshowever extensive they seemed to have beenwere inadequate. In the eight months of attacks, some 43,000 civilians were killed. Video, 00:01:38, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. By the. These shelters, made of corrugated steel, were designed to be dug into a garden and then covered with dirt. After his optician business was destroyed by a bomb, Mickey Davies led an effort to organize the Spitalfield Shelter. In late August the Germans dropped some bombs, apparently by accident, on civilian areas in London. 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. There are other diarists and narratives. Neighbouring residential areas were also hit. Video, 00:01:23, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages. Indeed, on the night of the first raid, no Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft took to the air to intercept German planes. With the surrender of France in June 1940, Germanys sole remaining enemy lay across the English Channel. Taoiseach amon de Valera formally protested to Berlin. John Clarke MacDermott, the Minister of Public Security, after the first bombing, initiated the "Hiram Plan" to evacuate the city and to return Belfast to 'normality' as quickly as possible. 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. Sir Basil Brooke, the Minister of Agriculture, was the only active minister. So had Clydeside until recently. He was succeeded by J. M. Andrews, then 69 years old, who was no more capable of dealing with the situation than his predecessor. Gring had insisted that such an attack was an impossibility, because of the citys formidable air defense network. [citation needed]. sprang into action, and Londoners, while maintaining the work, business, and efficiency of their city, displayed remarkable fortitude. 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 mass relocation, called Operation Pied Piper, was the largest internal migration in British history. 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. 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). The success of Mickeys Shelter was another factor that urged the government to improve existing deep shelters and to create new ones. However that attack was not an error. Train after train and bus after bus were filled with those next in line. The 2017 film Zoo depicts an air raid during the Belfast Blitz. In the west and north of the city, streets heavily bombed included Percy Street, York Park, York Crescent, Eglinton Street, Carlisle Street, Ballyclare, Ballycastle and Ballynure Streets off the Oldpark Road; Southport Street, Walton Street, Antrim Road, Annadale Street, Cliftonville Road, Hillman Street, Atlantic Avenue, Hallidays Road, Hughenden Avenue, Sunningdale Park, Shandarragh Park, and Whitewell Road. By then 250 firemen from Clydeside had arrived. But the authorities were afraid that bombs might not be the. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? "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. Weighing 46,328 tonnes, Titanic was to be the largest manmade moveable object the world had ever seen.