Moya Woodside[23] noted in her diary: "Evacuation is taking on panic proportions. Belfast's Albert Clock tower is sinking - it leans by four feet. After a brief lull, the Luftwaffe returned in force on February 17. Video, 00:00:26, Living through the London Blitz. Mr Freeburn set out to find out more about those who died, their personal stories and the tales of those left behind. Video, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. 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. Several theatres and many cinemas were open, and there were even a few sporting events. There were few bomb shelters. "Liverpool, Clydebank and Portsmouth all have a memorial to their victims of the Blitz. 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. Belfast's Albert Clock tower is sinking - it leans by four feet. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Video, 00:02:12, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. Belfast is famous for being the birthplace of the Titanic. ", Dawson Bates informed the Cabinet of rack-renting of barns, and over thirty people per house in some areas.[24]. [citation needed], There was a second massive air raid on Belfast on Sunday 45 May 1941, three weeks after that of Easter Tuesday. A force of 180 bombers dropped 750 bombs - including 203 tonnes of high explosives - and 29,000 incendiaries over a five-hour period. Video, 00:00:51Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. [27] One widespread criticism was that the Germans located Belfast by heading for Dublin and following the railway lines north. There is no slacking in our loyalty. A victory for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain would indeed have exposed Great Britain to invasion and occupation. Where they are going, what they will find to eat when they get there, nobody knows. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. The working-class living close to industrial centres suffered more than anyone over the course of the four raids. These balloons, the largest of which were some 60 feet (18 metres) long, were essentially an airspace denial tool. 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 offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). By then most of the major fires were under control and the firemen from Clydeside and other British cities were arriving. The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham. 10 Facts about Belfast City. Another claim was that the Catholic population in general and the IRA in particular guided the bombers. The first (April 7 -8), a small attack, was most likely carried out to test the city's defenses. [9], War materials and food were sent by sea from Belfast to Great Britain, some under the protection of the neutral Irish tricolour. In the first days of the Blitz, a tragic incident in the East End stoked public anger over the governments shelter policy. In Bristol, the bombed-out ruins of St Peter's Church were left standing with added memorial plaques to the civilians who were killed. They prevented low-flying aircraft from approaching their targets at optimal altitudes and angles of attack. Weighing 46,328 tonnes, Titanic was to be the largest manmade moveable object the world had ever seen. Apart from one or two false alarms in the early days of the war, no sirens wailed in London until June 25. 2. However, the Docklands was also a densely populated and impoverished area where thousands of working-class Londoners lived in run-down housing. The House of Commons, Westminster Abbey, and the British Museum were severely damaged, and The Temple was almost completely destroyed. He successfully busied himself with the task of making Northern Ireland a major supplier of food to Britain in her time of need.[5]. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). workers. 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. Elsewhere in the skies over Britain, Nazi official Rudolph Hess chose that same evening to parachute into Scotland on a quixotic and wholly unauthorized peace mission. At 10:40pm the air raid sirens sounded. 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. ", Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz. The higher the German planes had to fly to avoid the balloons, the less accurate they were when dropping their bombs. "[22], In his opinion, the greatest want was the lack of hospital facilities. The British, on the other hand, were supremely well prepared for the kind of battle in which they now found themselves. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. The government was blamed by some for inadequate precautions. High explosives were dropped. In the New Lodge area people had taken refuge in a mill. The creeping TikTok bans. 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. 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. 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. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. The shipyard was among the largest in the world, producing merchant vessels and military shipping. On 4-5 May, another raid, made up of 204 bombers, killed another 203 people and the following night 22 more died. They remained for three days, until they were sent back by the Northern Ireland government. Video, 00:01:15The Belfast blitz, Up Next. Ulster Historical Foundation. 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'. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg (lightning war). 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. [26], Initial German radio broadcasts celebrated the raid. On the 60th anniversary of the Belfast Blitz, Luftwaffe Pilot Gerhardt Becker spoke to BBC Northern Ireland about his mission over Belfast in 1941. 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. These shelters were vital as these factories had many employees working late at night and early in the morning when Luftwaffe attacks were likely. That evening over 150 bombers left their bases in northern France and the Netherlands and headed for Belfast. Updates? His report concluded with: "a second Belfast would be too horrible to contemplate". Subs offer. 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. In spite of blackouts, ubiquitous shelters and sandbags, the visible effects of mass evacuation, the presence of A.R.P. 7. When war broke out in 1939 the city did not expect to be attacked by German bombers: it was geographically remote and deemed a relatively . Islington parish church, the rebuilt Our Lady of Victories (Kensington), the French church by Leicester square, St. Annes, Soho (famous for its music), All Souls, Langham place, and Christ Church in Westminster Bridge road (whose towerfortunately savedcommemorates President Lincolns abolition of slavery), were among a large number of others. The attacks were authorized by Germanys chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. The Belfast Blitz was a series of devastating Luftwaffe air raids that took place in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. The firm had produced Handley Page Hereford bombers since 1936. Belfast suffered a series of bombing raids in the spring of 1941, which became known as the 'Blitz of Belfast'. 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. 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. At 4:15am John MacDermott, the Minister of Public Security, managed to contact Basil Brooke (then Agriculture Minister), seeking permission to seek help from the Irish government. 6. 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. Most of the objectives laid out by the reconnaissance crews were of either military or industrial importance. along with England, Scotland, and Wales. The town of Dromara saw its population increase from 500 to 2,500. The Titanic was built in Belfast. Van Morrison is from the east part of the city. 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. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. On 28 April 1943, six members of the Government threatened to resign, forcing him from office. The South Hallsville School disaster prompted Londoners, especially residents of the East End, to find safer shelters, on their own if necessary. 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). 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. Also, on Queens Island, stood the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory. By Jonathan Bardon. 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. 2023 BBC. Many of the surface shelters built by local authorities were flimsy and provided little protection from bombs, falling debris, and fire. 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." There are other diarists and narratives. It was not the last time Belfast would suffer. Everything on wheels is being pressed into service. On occasion, forces consisting of as many as 300 to 400 aircraft would cross the coast by day and split into small groups, and a few planes would succeed in penetrating Londons outer defenses. 55,000 British civilian casualties were sustained through German bombing before the end of 1940 This included 23,000 deaths. Simpson shot down one of the Heinkels over Downpatrick. Of the churches, besides St. Pauls cathedral, where at one time were five unexploded bombs in the immediate vicinity and the roof of which was pierced by another that exploded and shattered the high altar to fragments, those damaged were Westminster abbey, St. Margarets Westminster, Southwark cathedral; fifteen Wren churches (including St. 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. (Great War casualties) had died in hospital beds, their eyes had been reverently closed, their hands crossed to their breasts. Hitlers intention had been to break the morale of the British people so they would pressure their government to surrender. In just these few hours, 430 people were killed and 1,600 were badly injured. The Blitz began at about 4:00 in the afternoon on September 7, 1940, when German planes appeared over London. Once more, London was targeted and children were victims. 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. Compared to other cities, Belfast was virtually undefended. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Anna and Billy were buried up their necks in sewage but were rescued and survived. 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. Up to now, we have escaped an attack, said John MacDermott, the Minister for Security, Belfast, on March 24, 1941. The Battle of Britain The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. The most significant loss was a 4.5-acre (1.8ha) factory floor for manufacturing the fuselages of Short Stirling bombers. 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. Indeed, on the night of the first raid, no Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft took to the air to intercept German planes. 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. "We can still see the physical scars of the Blitz in Belfast, that is what is left. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Fighter Commands efforts were greatly aided by the lack of any consistent plan of action on the part of the Germans. Here are 10 facts about both the German Blitzkrieg and the Allied bombing of Germany. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. As of October 2020, the population of Belfast is about 350,000 people. But these people all had families and friends and they had to deal with their loss for the rest of their lives.". Video, 00:03:09, Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Major O'Sullivan reported that "In the heavily 'blitzed' areas people ran panic-stricken into the streets and made for the open country. The creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. 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. 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}. Since most casualties were caused by falling masonry rather than by blast, they provided effective shelter for those who had them. The first deliberate raid took place on the night of 7 April. 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. . Streetlights, car headlights, and illuminated signs were kept off. Heinkel He 111 and Dornier Do 17 planes fitted with Zeiss cameras captured high-quality aerial imagery. The 2017 film Zoo depicts an air raid during the Belfast Blitz. 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. Wave after wave of bombers dropped their incendiaries, high explosives and land-mines. The area included the Harland and Wolff Ltd. Shipyard, the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory, and the airfield at RAF Sydenham. When the Blitz began, the government enforced a blackout in an attempt to make targeting more difficult for German night bombers. The district of Belfast has an area of 44 square miles (115 square km). The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive. As well as photographs, the Luftwaffe gathered information on landmarks, potential targets and defences or lack thereof. 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. 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 . 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. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material on this site without expressand written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. The success of Mickeys Shelter was another factor that urged the government to improve existing deep shelters and to create new ones. Yesterday for once the people of Ireland were united under the shadow of a national blow. Many "arrived in Fermanagh having nothing with them only night shirts". These private air-raid shelters were Anderson shelters, constructed of sheets of corrugated galvanised iron covered in earth. 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. The telegram was sent at 4:35am,[citation needed] asking the Irish Taoiseach, amon de Valera for assistance. Death had to a certain extent been made decent. James Craig, Lord Craigavon, had been Prime Minister of Northern Ireland since its inception in 1921 up until his death in 1940. [1][2], The third raid on Belfast took place over the evening and morning of 45 May 1941; 150 were killed. After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged displaced people to take shelter at South Hallsville School. 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. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. Raids between February and May pounded Plymouth, Portsmouth, Bristol, Newcastle upon Tyne, and Hull in England; Swansea in Wales; Belfast in Northern Ireland; and Clydeside in Scotland. The Luftwaffe crews returned to their base in Northern France and reported that Belfast's defences were, "inferior in quality, scanty and insufficient". On 24 March 1941, John MacDermott, Minister for Security, wrote to Prime Minister John Andrews, expressing his concerns that Belfast was so poorly protected: "Up to now we have escaped attack. 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. sprang into action, and Londoners, while maintaining the work, business, and efficiency of their city, displayed remarkable fortitude. What happened in 1941 changed the city forever. Roads out of town are still one stream of cars, with mattresses and bedding tied on top. When incendiaries were dropped, the city burned as water pressure was too low for effective firefighting. In late August the Germans dropped some bombs, apparently by accident, on civilian areas in London. 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? 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. On May 11, 1941, Hitler called off the Blitz as he shifted his forces eastward against the Soviet Union. Several accounts point out that Belfast, standing at the end of the long inlet of Belfast Lough, would be easily located. 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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. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . Fewer than 4,000 women and children were evacuated. Omissions? Revised estimates made decades later indicated that close to 600 men, women, and children had been killed in the bombing. Read about our approach to external linking. Corrections? This part of Belfast was the only one required to provide air raid shelters for workers.