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). Updates? Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go Belfast is as worthy a target as Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol or Glasgow." The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. There is no slacking in our loyalty. 8. "A lot of the people I spoke to were relatives who ended up donating images and handwritten letters from before and after the Blitz. Again the Irish emergency services crossed the border, this time without waiting for an invitation. Video, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. [18], Over 900 people died, 1,500 people were injured, 400 of them seriously. A Raid From Above A charitable relief fund for the people of London was opened September 10. Unlike N Ireland, the Irish Free State was no longer part of the UK. A victory for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain would indeed have exposed Great Britain to invasion and occupation. Death had to a certain extent been made decent. Over 20 hospitals were hit, among them the London (many times), St. Thomass, St. Bartholomews, and the childrens hospital in Great Ormond st., as well as Chelsea hospital, the home for the aged and invalid soldiers, built by Wren. Six Heinkel He 111 bombers, from Kampfgruppe 26, flying at 7,000 feet (2,100m), dropped incendiaries, high explosive and parachute-mines. [citation needed], Other writers, such as Tony Gray in The Lost Years state that the Germans did follow their radio guidance beams. Video, 00:01:23Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds, One-minute World News. Belfast is located on the island of Ireland. [25] He followed up with his "they are our people" speech, made in Castlebar, County Mayo, on Sunday 20 April 1941 (Quoted in the Dundalk Democrat dated Saturday 26 April 1941): In the past, and probably in the present, too, a number of them did not see eye to eye with us politically, but they are our people we are one and the same people and their sorrows in the present instance are also our sorrows; and I want to say to them that any help we can give to them in the present time we will give to them whole-heartedly, believing that were the circumstances reversed they would also give us their help whole-heartedly Frank Aiken, the Irish Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures was in Boston, Massachusetts at the time. The Luftwaffe never attacked the city after May 1941, but it would be many years before life returned to normal for many in the city. Belfast, the city with the highest population density in the UK at the time, also had the lowest proportion of public air-raid shelters. 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. O'Sullivan reported: "There were many terrible mutilations among both living and dead heads crushed, ghastly abdominal and face wounds, penetration by beams, mangled and crushed limbs etc.". The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn.. Video, 00:01:37Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. The British thus fought with the advantage of superior equipment and undivided aim against an enemy with inconsistent objectives. During what was known as the "Belfast Blitz," 1,000 people were killed by bombs dropped by the Nazis in 1941 during the Second World War. Omissions? The Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.) 1. 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. The working-class living close to industrial centres suffered more than anyone over the course of the four raids. People hung black curtains in their windows so that no lights showed outside their houses. Video, 00:00:36Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. Many of the surface shelters built by local authorities were flimsy and provided little protection from bombs, falling debris, and fire. 7. 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. 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 creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. 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. Also, on Queens Island, stood the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory. Because basements, a logical destination in the event of an air raid, were a relative rarity in Britain, the A.R.P. In each station volunteers were asked for, as it was beyond their normal duties. "[22], In his opinion, the greatest want was the lack of hospital facilities. No significant cut was made in necessary social services, and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible. After the war, when the first girl from the home got married Billy gave her away, having lost his only daughter. "We can still see the physical scars of the Blitz in Belfast, that is what is left. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? 11 churches, two hospitals and two schools were destroyed. By Jonathan Bardon. 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. 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. The Blitz began at around 4 pm on September 7, 1940, when German bomber planes first appeared over London. In every instance, all stepped forward. ", 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]. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. The city covers a total area of 132.5 square kilometers (51 square miles). Neighbouring residential areas were also hit. There were few bomb shelters. Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland . 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. In the eight months of attacks, some 43,000 civilians were killed. The mortuary services had emergency plans to deal with only 200 bodies. A force of 180 bombers dropped 750 bombs - including 203 tonnes of high explosives - and 29,000 incendiaries over a five-hour period. The "Hiram Plan" initiated by Dawson Bates, the Home Affairs Minister, had failed to materialise. These private air-raid shelters were Anderson shelters, constructed of sheets of corrugated galvanised iron covered in earth. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. [citation needed], There was a second massive air raid on Belfast on Sunday 45 May 1941, three weeks after that of Easter Tuesday. The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham. [17] A stray bomber attacked Derry, killing 15. By 1941, production of the Short Stirling Bomber and the Short Sunderland Flying Boat was underway. Video, 00:00:51, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. 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. Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. The most heavily bombed area was that which lay between York Street and the Antrim Road, north of the city centre. By the. Since most casualties were caused by falling masonry rather than by blast, they provided effective shelter for those who had them. It was not the first time the alarm had sounded to signify the presence of Luftwaffe bombers over the city. However they were not in a position to communicate with the Germans, and information recovered from Germany after the war showed that the planning of the blitz was based entirely on German aerial reconnaissance. Ulster Historical Foundation. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He spoke with Professor Flynn, (Theodore Thomson Flynn, an Australian based at the Mater Hospital and father of actor Errol Flynn), head of the casualty service for the city, who told him of "casualties due to shock, blast and secondary missiles, such as glass, stones, pieces of piping, etc." He gave an interview saying: "the people of Belfast are Irish people too". For 57 nightsuntil November 2more than 1 million bombs were dropped on the capital city. 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. Nine were registered on three separate occasions, and from the start of the Blitz until November 30 there were more than 350 alerts. Under the leadership of amon de Valera it had declared its neutrality during the Second World War. He was asked, in the N.I. The raids on London primarily targeted the Docklands area of the East End. The creeping TikTok bans. Another claim was that the Catholic population in general and the IRA in particular guided the bombers. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . Death should be dignified, peaceful; Hitler had made even death grotesque. After a brief lull, the Luftwaffe returned in force on February 17. The next took. Several theatres and many cinemas were open, and there were even a few sporting events. 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. Many of those who died as a result of enemy action lived in tightly packed, poorly constructed, terraced housing. to households. 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. [4], The Government of Northern Ireland lacked the will, energy and capacity to cope with a major crisis when it came. 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. The creeping TikTok bans. Tommy Henderson, an Independent Unionist MP in the House of Commons of Northern Ireland, summed up the feeling when he invited the Minister of Home Affairs to Hannahstown and the Falls Road, saying "The Catholics and the Protestants are going up there mixed and they are talking to one another. [citation needed]. [citation needed], On Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1941, spectators watching a football match at Windsor Park noticed a lone Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88 aircraft circling overhead.[15]. 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. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. 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. William Joyce (known as "Lord Haw-Haw") announced in radio broadcasts from Hamburg that there will be "Easter eggs for Belfast". 55,000 houses were damaged leaving 100,000 temporarily homeless. But Mr Freeburn's research casts doubt on this. On August 25 the British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin. Men from the South worked with men from the North in the universal cause of the relief of suffering. A Luftwaffe terror bombing attack on the Spanish city of Guernica (April 26, 1937) during the Spanish Civil War had killed hundreds of civilians and destroyed much of the town. These shelters were vital as these factories had many employees working late at night and early in the morning when Luftwaffe attacks were likely. The raids hurt Britains war production, but they also killed many civilians and left many others homeless. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 2. 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. During the first year of the war, behind-the-lines conditions prevailed in London. 7. As well as photographs, the Luftwaffe gathered information on landmarks, potential targets and defences or lack thereof. Liverpool, for example, protected by 100 guns. Most of the objectives laid out by the reconnaissance crews were of either military or industrial importance. Taoiseach amon de Valera formally protested to Berlin. When the house was hit William, Harriette, Dorothy, 36-year-old Dot and 41-year-old Isa were all killed. Video, 00:03:09, Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. . MacDermott would be proved right. Hundreds of incendiary and many high-explosive bombs were dropped, doing little material damage but causing many casualties. 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. Video, 00:01:09The Spitfire turns 80, The German bombing of Coventry. On May 11, 1941, Hitler called off the Blitz as he shifted his forces eastward against the Soviet Union. 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. 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). 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. But the RAF had not responded. He was succeeded by J. M. Andrews, then 69 years old, who was no more capable of dealing with the situation than his predecessor. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. The Luftwaffe crews returned to their base in Northern France and reported that Belfast's defences were, "inferior in quality, scanty and insufficient". The famous places damaged include the palace of Westminster and Westminster hall, the County hall, the Public Record office, the Law Courts, the Temple and the Inner Temple library; Somerset house, Burlington house, the tower of London, Greenwich observatory, Hogarths house; the Carlton, Reform, American, Savage, Arts and Orleans clubs; the Royal College of Surgeons, University college and its library, Stationers hall, the Y.M.C.A. Fewer than 4,000 women and children were evacuated. In Bristol, the bombed-out ruins of St Peter's Church were left standing with added memorial plaques to the civilians who were killed. However Belfast was not mentioned again by the Nazis. Government ministers in Northern Ireland began to realise the Luftwaffe may launch an attack, but it was too little, too late. Everything on wheels is being pressed into service. 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." 2023 BBC. You can see the difference in those letters - post-Blitz is very much a grieving tone. 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. Even the children of soldiers had not been evacuated, with calamitous results when the married quarters of Victoria Barracks received a direct hit. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain.

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