An air raid shelter on Hallidays Road received a direct hit, killing all those in it. For two hours, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters targeted the city, dropping high-explosive bombs as well as incendiary devices. [citation needed]. What happened in 1941 changed the city forever. devised the Morrison shelter (named for Home Secretary Herbert Stanley Morrison) as an alternative to the Anderson shelter. 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 first day of the Blitz is remembered as Black Saturday. Roads out of town are still one stream of cars, with mattresses and bedding tied on top. Simpson shot down one of the Heinkels over Downpatrick. The bombs caused death and destruction across the city, affecting those of all religions and political backgrounds. He believed that key targets identified across the city were hit. They remained for three days, until they were sent back by the Northern Ireland government. Nearby residential areas in east Belfast were also hit when "203 metric tonnes of high explosive bombs, 80 land mines attached to parachutes, and 800 firebomb canisters containing 96,000 incendiary bombs"[16] were dropped. Outside of London, with some 900 dead, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during 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. Belfast Blitz: Marking the lost lives 80 years on A force of 180 bombers dropped 750 bombs - including 203 tonnes of high explosives - and 29,000 incendiaries over a five-hour period. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. 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. When the war began, Belfast, like many other cities, adopted the wartime practices of rationing and blackouts. Belfast is as worthy a target as Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol or Glasgow.. Only four were known still to be alive. On August 25 the British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . Belfast was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. Video, 00:00:51Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. The M.V. The creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. It was not the last time Belfast would suffer. After the war, instructions from Joseph Goebbels were discovered ordering it not to be mentioned. Mr Freeburn set out to find out more about those who died, their personal stories and the tales of those left behind. On May 11, 1941, Hitler called off the Blitz as he shifted his forces eastward against the Soviet Union. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom . 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. As the UK was preparing for the conflict, the factories and shipyards of Belfast were gearing up. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. As more and more people began sleeping on the platforms, however, the government relented and provided bunk beds and bathrooms for the underground communities. It was the worst wartime raid outside of London in the UK. By Jonathan Bardon. 150 corpses remained in the Falls Road baths for three days before they were buried in a mass grave, with 123 still unidentified. 55,000 houses were damaged leaving 100,000 temporarily homeless. The sense of relative calm was abruptly shattered in the first week of September 1940, when the war came to London in earnest. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. In early 1941 the Germans launched another wave of attacks, this time focusing on ports. This part of Belfast was the only one required to provide air raid shelters for workers. Heinkel He 111 and Dornier Do 17 planes fitted with Zeiss cameras captured high-quality aerial imagery. Churches destroyed or wrecked included Macrory Memorial Presbyterian in Duncairn Gardens; Duncairn Methodist, Castleton Presbyterian on York Road; St Silas's on the Oldpark Road; St James's on the Antrim Road; Newington Presbyterian on Limestone Road; Crumlin Road Presbyterian; Holy Trinity on Clifton Street and Clifton Street Presbyterian; York Street Presbyterian and York Street Non-Subscribing Presbyterian; Newtownards Road Methodist and Rosemary Street Presbyterian (the last of which was not rebuilt). Around 1am, Luftwaffe bombers flew over the city, concentrating their attack on the Harbour Estate and Queen's Island. ISBN 9781909556324. An earlier flight on Oct. 18 allowed the crew to plot several targets in the city. "We can still see the physical scars of the Blitz in Belfast, that is what is left. Read about our approach to external linking. Ulster Historical Foundation. Over 500 received care from the Irish Red Cross in Dublin. The raids on London primarily targeted the Docklands area of the East End. Video, 00:00:36Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. The Titanic was built in Belfast. During the first year of the war, behind-the-lines conditions prevailed in London. 2023 BBC. 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. Death had to a certain extent been made decent. The Blitz began at about 4:00 in the afternoon on September 7, 1940, when German planes appeared over London. No searchlights were set up in the city at the time, and these only arrived on 10 April. The database Mr Freeburn has compiled is, he believes, the most accurate list of those killed and includes 222 children aged 16 or under. 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. Under the leadership of amon de Valera it had declared its neutrality during the Second World War. Prayers were said and hymns sung by the mainly Protestant women and children during the bombing. By 1941, production of the Short Stirling Bomber and the Short Sunderland Flying Boat was underway. The famous Harland and Wolff cranes are called Samson and Goliath. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. People hung black curtains in their windows so that no lights showed outside their houses. The attacks by both V1's and V2's only ended as the Allies advanced up through Western Europe . But the RAF had not responded. That contrasts with the figure that is often given of more than 900 killed on Easter Tuesday alone. Protection of the city fell to seven anti-aircraft batteries of 16 heavy guns and six light guns. 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. His report concluded with: "a second Belfast would be too horrible to contemplate". Learn how your comment data is processed. Video, 00:02:54Living through the London Blitz, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire. The danger faced in London was greatly increased when the V2 attacks started and the casualty figures mirrored those of the Blitz.. Three vessels nearing completion at Harland and Wolff's were hit as was its power station. So had Clydeside until recently. 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. This raid overall caused relatively little damage, but a lot was revealed about Belfast's inadequate defences. 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. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. The devastation was so great that the Germans coined a new verb, to coventrate, to describe it. The Battle of Britain 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. Around 20,000 people were employed on the site with 35,000 further along in the shipyard. In clear weather, targets were easily identifiable. 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. wardens, and members of the Home Guard drilling in the parks, life went on much as usual. Blitz Fibre UK Blitz Fibre UK Published Mar 1, 2023 + Follow Fact 1- Small but Mighty . sprang into action, and Londoners, while maintaining the work, business, and efficiency of their city, displayed remarkable fortitude. [26], Initial German radio broadcasts celebrated the raid. Brooke noted in his diary "I gave him authority as it is obviously a question of expediency". Another claim was that the Catholic population in general and the IRA in particular guided the bombers. In The Blitz: Belfast in the War Years, Brian Barton wrote: "Government Ministers felt with justification, that the Germans were able to use the unblacked out lights in the south to guide them to their targets in the North." [6] It was MacDermott who sent a telegram to de Valera seeking assistance. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. Liverpool, for example, protected by 100 guns. 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. [citation needed], Casualties were lower than at Easter, partly because the sirens had sounded at 11.45pm while the Luftwaffe attacked more cautiously from a greater height. The creeping TikTok bans. 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. The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn.. Few children had been successfully evacuated. 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. Nearby were the citys main power station, gasworks, telephone house and the Sirocco Engineering works. Video, 00:00:46Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. Video, 00:01:38, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged displaced people to take shelter at South Hallsville School. 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. There wasn't enough room for Anna or Billy, so they sheltered elsewhere, a twist of fate that would save their lives. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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). From papers recovered after the war, we know of a Luftwaffe reconnaissance flight over Belfast on 30 November 1940. The attacks were authorized by Germanys chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. Belfast confetti," said one archive news report. 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. Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. (Some authors count this as the second raid of four). The seeming normality of life on the Home Front was shattered in 1944 when the first of the V1's landed. "There are plans for one but there isn't one yet. By then 250 firemen from Clydeside had arrived. "It says a lot about how these people are forgotten that there is no Blitz memorial in Belfast," Mr Freeburn says. Brian Barton of Queen's University, Belfast, has written most on this topic.[19]. However, the Docklands was also a densely populated and impoverished area where thousands of working-class Londoners lived in run-down housing. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. . Belfast Blitz: Facts In total there were four attacks on the County Antrim city. Unlike N Ireland, the Irish Free State was no longer part of the UK. Apart from one or two false alarms in the early days of the war, no sirens wailed in London until June 25. It was solemn, tragic, dignified, but here it was grotesque, repulsive, horrible. Beginning on Black Saturday, London was attacked on 57 straight nights. Find out how it began, what the Germans hoped to achieve and how it severe it was, plus we visit nine places affected by the attacks. Revised estimates made decades later indicated that close to 600 men, women, and children had been killed in the bombing. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. Belfast's Albert Clock tower is sinking - it leans by four feet. He successfully busied himself with the task of making Northern Ireland a major supplier of food to Britain in her time of need.[5]. James Craig, Lord Craigavon, had been Prime Minister of Northern Ireland since its inception in 1921 up until his death in 1940. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 50,000 houses, more than half the houses in the city, were damaged. workers. Thank you. Death should be dignified, peaceful; Hitler had made even death grotesque. 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. A charitable relief fund for the people of London was opened September 10. The Belfast blitz devastated a city that up until 1941 had remained unscathed during World War Two. Video, 00:00:51, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. The mortuary services had emergency plans to deal with only 200 bodies. Belfast was largely unprepared for an attack of such a scale as 200 German bombers shelled the city on 15 April 1941. Several accounts point out that Belfast, standing at the end of the long inlet of Belfast Lough, would be easily located. 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. 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. A short respite followed, until a widespread series of night raids on April 7 included some targets in the London area. 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. By mid-September 1940 the RAF had won the Battle of Britain, and the invasion was postponed indefinitely. 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. Belfast is famous for being the birthplace of the Titanic. 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. "Liverpool, Clydebank and Portsmouth all have a memorial to their victims of the Blitz. Barton insisted that Belfast was "too far north" to use radio guidance. Brides, Fleet St.; St. Lawrence Jewry; St. Magnus the Martyr; St. Mary-at-hill; St. Dunstan in the East; St. Clement [Eastcheap] and St. Jamess, Piccadilly). The "pothole blitz" is a common short-term initiative to combat storm weather damage. 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. Many of those who died as a result of enemy action lived in tightly packed, poorly constructed, terraced housing. 7. But Mr Freeburn's research casts doubt on this. In the mistaken belief that they might damage RAF fighters, the anti-aircraft batteries ceased firing. A force of 180 bombers dropped 750 bombs - including 203 tonnes of high explosives - and 29,000 incendiaries over a five-hour period. Video, 00:02:12Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. Another attacked Bangor, killing five. Taoiseach amon de Valera formally protested to Berlin. Wave after wave of bombers dropped their incendiaries, high explosives and land-mines. 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. Has it taken bursting bombs to remind the people of this little country that they have common tradition, a common genius and a common home? No attendant nurse had soothed the last moments of these victims; no gentle reverent hand had closed their eyes or crossed their hands. ", Dawson Bates informed the Cabinet of rack-renting of barns, and over thirty people per house in some areas.[24]. The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn." Here are 10 facts about both the German Blitzkrieg and the Allied bombing of Germany. 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. Fortunately, the railway telegraphy link between Belfast and Dublin was still operational. 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. 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. Despite the military and industrial importance of the city, the Luftwaffe described the defences asweak, scanty, insufficient. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. Video, 00:01:23Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds, One-minute World News. Some 900 people died as a result of the bombing and 1,500 were injured. 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. High explosive bombs predominated in this raid. 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. The youngest victim was just six-weeks-old. London was bombed for 57 consecutive nights from 7 September 1940 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. 6. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. It was not the first time the alarm had sounded to signify the presence of Luftwaffe bombers over the city. The most heavily bombed area was that which lay between York Street and the Antrim Road, north of the city centre. These shelters were vital as these factories had many employees working late at night and early in the morning when Luftwaffe attacks were likely. There is no slacking in our loyalty. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. The district of Belfast has an area of 44 square miles (115 square km). 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. He was succeeded by J. M. Andrews, then 69 years old, who was no more capable of dealing with the situation than his predecessor. The bombs continued to fall until 5am. Indeed, on the night of the first raid, no Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft took to the air to intercept German planes. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. After a brief lull, the Luftwaffe returned in force on February 17. 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." Davies also set up medical stations and persuaded off-duty medical personnel to treat the sick and wounded. and Major Sen O'Sullivan, who produced a detailed report for the Dublin government. parliament: "if the government realized 'that these fast bombers can come to Northern Ireland in two and three quarter hours'". Omissions? The creeping TikTok bans. 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." 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. Interesting facts about Belfast. The creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. John Wood Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre in Belfast in 1887. No significant cut was made in necessary social services, and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible. Video, 00:01:23, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages. He was asked, in the N.I. 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. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. 255 corpses were laid out in St George's Market. Apart from those on London, this was the greatest loss of life in any night raid during the Blitz. C.S Lewis was born in Belfast, and the nearby countryside helped inspire The Chronicles of Narnia. Read about our approach to external linking. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. When a bombing raid was imminent, air-raid sirens were set off to sound a warning. Many "arrived in Fermanagh having nothing with them only night shirts". THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. 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. 3. The nights of November 3 and 28 were the only occasions during this period in which Londons peace was unbroken by siren or bomb. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. 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. St George's Church in High Street was damaged by fire. [citation needed]. 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.