Tragically 35 were crushed to death when the mill wall collapsed. "Liverpool, Clydebank and Portsmouth all have a memorial to their victims of the Blitz. In another building, the York Street Mill, one of its massive sidewalls collapsed on to Sussex and Vere Streets, killing all those who remained in their homes. The Belfast blitz during World War Two - BBC News The bombing of British cities - Swansea, Belfast, Glasgow Burke Street which ran between Annadale and Dawson streets in the New Lodge area, was completely wiped off the map with all its 20 houses flattened and all of the occupants killed.[16]. The nights of November 3 and 28 were the only occasions during this period in which Londons peace was unbroken by siren or bomb. Emma Duffin, a nurse at the Queen's University Hospital, (who previously served during the Great War), who kept a diary; 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. By Jonathan Bardon. Another claim was that the Catholic population in general and the IRA in particular guided the bombers. Belfast Blitz: The Luftwaffe attacks Northern Ireland - WartimeNI The "pothole blitz" is a common short-term initiative to combat storm weather damage. The database Mr Freeburn has compiled is, he believes, the most accurate list of those killed and includes 222 children aged 16 or under. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000. Prior to the "Belfast Blitz" there were only 200 public shelters in the city, although around 4,000 households had built their own private shelters. High explosives were dropped. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. (Great War casualties) had died in hospital beds, their eyes had been reverently closed, their hands crossed to their breasts. 1. Although casualties were heavy, at no time did they approach the estimates that had been made before the war, and only a fraction of the available hospital and ambulance capacity was ever utilized. ", Dawson Bates informed the Cabinet of rack-renting of barns, and over thirty people per house in some areas.[24]. 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. 14 Breathtaking Facts about Belfast - Fact City The Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.) On May 11, 1941, Hitler called off the Blitz as he shifted his forces eastward against the Soviet Union. Days later a group of East Enders occupied the shelter at the upscale Savoy Hotel, and many others began to take refuge in the citys underground railway, or Tube, stations. Only four were known still to be alive. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Belfast confetti," said one archive news report. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. By then most of the major fires were under control and the firemen from Clydeside and other British cities were arriving. Video, 00:01:37Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. That night almost 300 people, many from the Protestant Shankill area, took refuge in the Clonard Monastery in the Catholic Falls Road. On the 60th anniversary of the Belfast Blitz, Luftwaffe Pilot Gerhardt Becker spoke to BBC Northern Ireland about his mission over Belfast in 1941. For two hours on the first day, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters blasted London. Video, 00:00:26, Living through the London Blitz. 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. After the passing of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, it became the seat of the government of Northern Ireland. After a brief lull, the Luftwaffe returned in force on February 17. In addition, there simply was not enough space for everyone who needed shelter in one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. 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. 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." Public buildings destroyed or badly damaged included Belfast City Hall's Banqueting Hall, the Ulster Hospital for Women and Children and Ballymacarrett library, (the last two being located on Templemore Avenue). Video, 00:00:36Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. [12], There was little preparation for the conflict with Germany. Belfast | History, Population, Map, Landmarks, & Facts By 1940, Short and Harland could shelter its entire workforce and Harland and Wolff had provision to shelter 16,000 workers. 10,000 "officially" crossed the border. The Battle of Britain He believed that this was being done already but it was inevitable that a certain number of civilian lives should be lost in the course of heavy bombing from the air". 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. William Joyce (known as "Lord Haw-Haw") announced in radio broadcasts from Hamburg that there will be "Easter eggs for Belfast". [6] It was MacDermott who sent a telegram to de Valera seeking assistance. Other targets included Sheffield, Manchester, Coventry, and Southampton. [19], 220,000 people fled from the city. Another attacked Bangor, killing five. High explosive bombs predominated in this raid. Men from the South worked with men from the North in the universal cause of the relief of suffering. There was no opposition. 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. Anna and Billy were buried up their necks in sewage but were rescued and survived. 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." 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. As more and more people began sleeping on the platforms, however, the government relented and provided bunk beds and bathrooms for the underground communities. The most significant loss was a 4.5-acre (1.8ha) factory floor for manufacturing the fuselages of Short Stirling bombers. Authorities had noted Queens Island in the cityas a vulnerable point as early as 1929. However Belfast was not mentioned again by the Nazis. The Germans expanded the Blitz to other cities in November 1940. His report concluded with: "a second Belfast would be too horrible to contemplate". [citation needed] However on 20 October 1941 the Garda Sochna captured a comprehensive IRA report on captured member Helena Kelly giving a detailed analysis of damage inflicted on Belfast and highlighting prime targets such as Shortt and Harland aircraft factory and RAF Sydenham, describing them as 'the remaining and most outstanding objects of military significance, as yet unblitzed' and suggesting they should be 'bombed by the Luftwaffe as thoroughly as other areas in recent raids'[28][29], After three days, sometime after 6pm, the fire crews from south of the border began taking up their hoses and ladders to head for home. No significant cut was made in necessary social services, and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible. Harland and Wolff: The troubled history of Belfast's shipyard wardens, and members of the Home Guard drilling in the parks, life went on much as usual. The Blitz: When Was It, Why Did It Begin And How Did It End The creeping TikTok bans. After the first week of September, although night bombing on a large scale continued, the large mass attacks by day, which had proved so costly to the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, were replaced by smaller parties coming over in successive waves. After his optician business was destroyed by a bomb, Mickey Davies led an effort to organize the Spitalfield Shelter. Belfast's Albert Clock tower is sinking - it leans by four feet. Sir Basil Brooke, the Minister of Agriculture, was the only active minister. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Video, 00:01:03One-minute World News, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages. The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn.. But the raid of 15-16 April - the Easter Tuesday Raid - was on another scale. Reviewed by: Geoffrey Roberts. 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. On Nov. 30, 1940, a lone Luftwaffe plane flew across the Ards Peninsula unobserved and reported back to Berlin. 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. Video, 00:00:46Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. . Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. The attacks by both V1's and V2's only ended as the Allies advanced up through Western Europe . The youngest victim was just six-weeks-old. Compared to other cities, Belfast was virtually undefended. However that attack was not an error. When the Blitz began, the government enforced a blackout in an attempt to make targeting more difficult for German night bombers. Belfast Blitz - Wikipedia 50,000 houses, more than half the houses in the city, were damaged. IWM C 5424 1. Updates? 13 Facts You Didn't Know About Belfast devised the Morrison shelter (named for Home Secretary Herbert Stanley Morrison) as an alternative to the Anderson shelter. Strand Public Elementary school, York Road railway station, the adjacent Midland Hotel on York Road, and Salisbury Avenue tram depot were all hit. 55,000 British civilian casualties were sustained through German bombing before the end of 1940 This included 23,000 deaths. People are leaving from all parts of town and not only from the bombed areas. After the war, instructions from Joseph Goebbels were discovered ordering it not to be mentioned. 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. By British mainland blitz standards, casualties were light. The creeping TikTok bans. "They have never been published before, never seen the light of day.". Video, 00:01:09The Spitfire turns 80, The German bombing of Coventry. The House of Commons, Westminster Abbey, and the British Museum were severely damaged, and The Temple was almost completely destroyed. Video, 00:01:41, The German bombing of Coventry. When incendiaries were dropped, the city burned as water pressure was too low for effective firefighting. 10 Facts About the Blitz and the Bombing of Germany No attendant nurse had soothed the last moments of these victims; no gentle reverent hand had closed their eyes or crossed their hands. "There are plans for one but there isn't one yet. 11 churches, two hospitals and two schools were destroyed. On August 25 the British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin. 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. Ulster Historical Foundation. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. 29 interesting facts about Belfast you never knew - BeeLoved City Incendiary bombs predominated in this raid. The raids hurt Britains war production, but they also killed many civilians and left many others homeless. By the. 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 . So had Clydeside until recently. 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. They are sleeping in the same sheugh (ditch), below the same tree or in the same barn. Omissions? Children and World War Two - History Learning Site Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. Outside of London, with some 900 dead, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Blitz. 3. In Bristol, the bombed-out ruins of St Peter's Church were left standing with added memorial plaques to the civilians who were killed. Death had to a certain extent been made decent. Two of the crews received refreshments in Banbridge; others were entertained in the Ancient Order of Hibernians hall in Newry. The next took place on Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1941, when 200 Luftwaffe bombers attacked military and manufacturing targets in the city of Belfast. 10 fascinating facts about Belfast that you probably didn't know 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. continuous trek to railway stations. Many "arrived in Fermanagh having nothing with them only night shirts". Richard Dawson Bates was the Home Affairs Minister. Sometimes they were trying establish a blockade by destroying shipping and port facilities, sometimes they were directly attacking Fighter Command ground installations, sometimes they were targeting aircraft factories, and sometimes they were attempting to engage Fighter Command in the skies. On 28 April 1943, six members of the Government threatened to resign, forcing him from office. Liverpool, for example, protected by 100 guns. 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. Under the leadership of Prime Minister John Miller Andrews, Northern Ireland remained unprepared. Fortunately, the railway telegraphy link between Belfast and Dublin was still operational. Belfast made a considerable contribution towards the Allied war effort, producing many naval ships, aircraft and munitions; therefore, the city was deemed a suitable bombing target by the Luftwaffe. You can see the difference in those letters - post-Blitz is very much a grieving tone. Maps and documents uncovered at Gatow Airfield near Berlin in 1945 showed the level of detail involved. The Belfast Blitzconsisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfastin Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. Also, on Queens Island, stood the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory. to households. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. There is no slacking in our loyalty. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Historical Topics Series 2, The Belfast Blitz, 2007, This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 20:18. Singer-songwriter Van Morrison was born here. 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. Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go. Video, 00:00:51, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. "[22], In his opinion, the greatest want was the lack of hospital facilities. One, Tom Coleman, attended to receive recognition for his colleagues' solidarity at such a critical time.