10 facts about the belfast blitzfancy job titles for maintenance

Strand Public Elementary school, York Road railway station, the adjacent Midland Hotel on York Road, and Salisbury Avenue tram depot were all hit. As many were caught in the open by blast and secondary missiles, the enormous number of casualties can be readily accounted for. 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. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. Fewer than 4,000 women and children were evacuated. It was solemn, tragic, dignified, but here it was grotesque, repulsive, horrible. 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. Anna and Billy were buried up their necks in sewage but were rescued and survived. 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. "There will always be people who will slip through the net but I am able to say at least 987 were killed across all raids.". These shelters, made of corrugated steel, were designed to be dug into a garden and then covered with dirt. And even then, Westminster stated it was not ample provision; Stormont still worried about the costs to industry. Video, 00:00:26, Living through the London Blitz. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. The database Mr Freeburn has compiled is, he believes, the most accurate list of those killed and includes 222 children aged 16 or under. Omissions? 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. However that attack was not an error. 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. 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. "Liverpool, Clydebank and Portsmouth all have a memorial to their victims of the Blitz. Video, 00:01:37Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. In total over 1,300 houses were demolished, some 5,000 badly damaged, nearly 30,000 slightly damaged while 20,000 required "first aid repairs".[3]. Still, many in Northern Ireland believed no Luftwaffe attack would come. [17] A stray bomber attacked Derry, killing 15. But Mr Freeburn's research casts doubt on this. along with England, Scotland, and Wales. 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. Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland . 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. 8. [21] Mass graves for the unclaimed bodies were dug in the Milltown and Belfast City Cemeteries. Liverpool, for example, protected by 100 guns. Richard Dawson Bates was the Home Affairs Minister. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? 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. continuous trek to railway stations. Many in Northern Ireland thought that Belfast was outside the range of the Luftwaffe. 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. In clear weather, targets were easily identifiable. The Belfast blitz. [27] One widespread criticism was that the Germans located Belfast by heading for Dublin and following the railway lines north. By then 250 firemen from Clydeside had arrived. The first was on the night of 7-8 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. His reply was: "We here today are in a state of war and we are prepared with the rest of the United Kingdom and Empire to face all the responsibilities that imposes on the Ulster people. This amounted to nearly half of Britains total civilian deaths for the whole war. 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. 50,000 houses, more than half the houses in the city, were damaged. [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]. Video, 00:01:15The Belfast blitz, Up Next. At 10:40pm the air raid sirens sounded. Prayers were said and hymns sung by the mainly Protestant women and children during the bombing. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom . For two hours, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters targeted the city, dropping high-explosive bombs as well as incendiary devices. The Germans expanded the Blitz to other cities in November 1940. Video, 00:01:09The Spitfire turns 80, The German bombing of Coventry. Weighing 46,328 tonnes, Titanic was to be the largest manmade moveable object the world had ever seen. 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. 2. Read about our approach to external linking. "These people are often seen as a statistic but they were human beings, people who lived and grew up in - or moved to - Belfast and died in Belfast," Mr Freeburn, the museum's collections officer, says. Revised estimates made decades later indicated that close to 600 men, women, and children had been killed in the bombing. The British government had anticipated air attacks on its population centres, and it had predicted catastrophic casualties. and Major Sen O'Sullivan, who produced a detailed report for the Dublin government. Singer-songwriter Van Morrison was born here. Other targets included Sheffield, Manchester, Coventry, and Southampton. As more and more people began sleeping on the platforms, however, the government relented and provided bunk beds and bathrooms for the underground communities. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. 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. They remained for three days, until they were sent back by the Northern Ireland government. 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. At the beginning of the Blitz, British ack ack gunners struggled to inflict meaningful damage on German bombers, but later developments in radar guidance greatly improved the effectiveness of both antiaircraft artillery and searchlights. 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. In spite of blackouts, ubiquitous shelters and sandbags, the visible effects of mass evacuation, the presence of A.R.P. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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). 1. The Blitz was devastating for the people of London and other cities. 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. The Battle of Britain Belfast is located on the island of Ireland. Some 900 people died as a result of the bombing and 1,500 were injured. The area included the Harland and Wolff Ltd. Shipyard, the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory, and the airfield at RAF Sydenham. But the RAF had not responded. Belfast was largely unprepared for an attack of such a scale as 200 German bombers shelled the city on 15 April 1941. 10 Facts about Belfast City. wardens, and members of the Home Guard drilling in the parks, life went on much as usual. When incendiaries were dropped, the city burned as water pressure was too low for effective firefighting. Very early in the German bombing campaign, it became clear that the preparationshowever extensive they seemed to have beenwere inadequate. 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When the house was hit William, Harriette, Dorothy, 36-year-old Dot and 41-year-old Isa were all killed. 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. The attacks were authorized by Germany's chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. The danger faced in London was greatly increased when the V2 attacks started and the casualty figures mirrored those of the Blitz.. As many as 5,000 people had packed into this network of underground tunnels, which was dangerously overcrowded, dirty, and dark. It is perhaps true that many saved their lives running but I am afraid a much greater number lost them or became casualties."[20]. Brian Barton of Queen's University, Belfast, has written most on this topic.[19]. On September 1, 1939, the day World War II began with Germanys invasion of Poland, the British government implemented a massive evacuation plan. When the bombing began, 76-year-old William and 72-year-old Harriette took refuge under the stairs along with Dorothy, Dot and Isa. 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. 6. Video, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. There was no smokescreen ability, however there were some barrage balloons positioned strategically for protection. Few children had been successfully evacuated. Another large-scale attack followed on March 19, when hundreds of houses and shops, many churches, six hospitals, and other public buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. The firm had produced Handley Page Hereford bombers since 1936. Most of the objectives laid out by the reconnaissance crews were of either military or industrial importance. 2. [12], There was little preparation for the conflict with Germany. 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. 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. 2023 BBC. 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." Many "arrived in Fermanagh having nothing with them only night shirts". The Luftwaffe crews returned to their base in Northern France and reported that Belfast's defences were, "inferior in quality, scanty and insufficient". Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. 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. The crypt under the sanctuary and the cellar under the working sacristy had been fitted out and opened to the public as an air-raid shelter. Subs offer. Moya Woodside[23] noted in her diary: "Evacuation is taking on panic proportions. Air power alone had failed to knock the United Kingdom out of the war. 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. At the start of World War Two, Belfast had considered itself safe from an aerial attack, as the city's leaders believed that Belfast was simply too far away for Luftwaffe bombers to reach - assuming that they would have to fly from Nazi Germany. No attendant nurse had soothed the last moments of these victims; no gentle reverent hand had closed their eyes or crossed their hands. As well as photographs, the Luftwaffe gathered information on landmarks, potential targets and defences or lack thereof. The working-class living close to industrial centres suffered more than anyone over the course of the four raids. During the first year of the war, behind-the-lines conditions prevailed in London. "It says a lot about how these people are forgotten that there is no Blitz memorial in Belfast," Mr Freeburn says. When Germany bombed Belfast as part of the Blitz during World War Two, the massive air raids left more than a thousand people dead. Nevertheless, through sheer weight of numbers, the Germans were on the brink of victory in late August 1940. Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. 3. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. That night almost 300 people, many from the Protestant Shankill area, took refuge in the Clonard Monastery in the Catholic Falls Road. By mid-September 1940 the RAF had won the Battle of Britain, and the invasion was postponed indefinitely. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. It targeted the docks. Train after train and bus after bus were filled with those next in line. The creeping TikTok bans. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. A charitable relief fund for the people of London was opened September 10. The Blitz began at around 4 pm on September 7, 1940, when German bomber planes first appeared over London. In his interview, Becker stated that only military objectives were aimed for. 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. The "pothole blitz" is a common short-term initiative to combat storm weather damage. Under the leadership of amon de Valera it had declared its neutrality during the Second World War. 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. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. On August 25 the British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin. 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). Video, 00:00:51Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. The higher the German planes had to fly to avoid the balloons, the less accurate they were when dropping their bombs. Even the children of soldiers had not been evacuated, with calamitous results when the married quarters of Victoria Barracks received a direct hit.

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