Video, 00:00:46Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. The wartime output of the yard included aircraft carriers HMS Formidable and HMS Unicorn, cruisers such as HMS Belfast and more than 130 other vessels used by the Royal Navy. These figures are based on newspaper reports of the time, personal recollections and other primary sources, such as:- Government ministers in Northern Ireland began to realise the Luftwaffe may launch an attack, but it was too little, too late. Video, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Walkie Talkie architect Rafael Violy dies aged 78, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, Mother who killed her five children euthanised. Anna and Billy returned to England and continued running the children's home. At 10:40 on the evening of Easter Tuesday 1941 air raid sirens sounded across Belfast, sending people across the city scrambling for safety - in one of the 200 public shelters in the city or the thousands of shelters or other "safe" spaces in private homes. For two hours, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters targeted the city, dropping high-explosive bombs as well as incendiary devices. Moya Woodside[23] noted in her diary: "Evacuation is taking on panic proportions. In clear weather, targets were easily identifiable. 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. Ulster Historical Foundation. The Belfast blitz during World War Two - BBC News An air raid shelter on Hallidays Road received a direct hit, killing all those in it. The next took. The British thus fought with the advantage of superior equipment and undivided aim against an enemy with inconsistent objectives. 10 Facts about Belfast City. ", Dawson Bates informed the Cabinet of rack-renting of barns, and over thirty people per house in some areas.[24]. There was unease with the complacent attitude of the government, which led to resignations: Craigavon died on 24 November 1940. 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. No significant cut was made in necessary social services, and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible. The creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. 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. A short respite followed, until a widespread series of night raids on April 7 included some targets in the London area. No attendant nurse had soothed the last moments of these victims; no gentle reverent hand had closed their eyes or crossed their hands. 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. On Nov. 30, 1940, a lone Luftwaffe plane flew across the Ards Peninsula unobserved and reported back to Berlin. 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. 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. 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). The Battle of Britain 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. The working-class living close to industrial centres suffered more than anyone over the course of the four raids. Sir Basil Brooke, the Minister of Agriculture, was the only active minister. 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. The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn." 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. This view was probably influenced by the decision of the IRA Army Council to support Germany. It is situated at on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. Video, 00:03:09, Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. The first (April 7 -8), a small attack, was most likely carried out to test the city's defenses. It was not the first time the alarm had sounded to signify the presence of Luftwaffe bombers over the city. As well as photographs, the Luftwaffe gathered information on landmarks, potential targets and defences or lack thereof. The bombs continued to fall until 5am. 10,000 "officially" crossed the border. And even then, Westminster stated it was not ample provision; Stormont still worried about the costs to industry. Video, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The Belfast Blitz - Inside the Deadly 1941 Luftwaffe Raids on Northern There were still 80,000 more in Belfast. Several accounts point out that Belfast, standing at the end of the long inlet of Belfast Lough, would be easily located. Sixty years after the Germans bombed Belfast in World War II BBC News Online looks back and remembers the anniversary of the blitz. There are other diarists and narratives. Horrendous Belfast losses during World War Two bombing blitz the Blitz, (September 7, 1940May 11, 1941), intense bombing campaign undertaken by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II. They are sleeping in the same sheugh (ditch), below the same tree or in the same barn. In spite of blackouts, ubiquitous shelters and sandbags, the visible effects of mass evacuation, the presence of A.R.P. In late August the Germans dropped some bombs, apparently by accident, on civilian areas in London. The attacks by both V1's and V2's only ended as the Allies advanced up through Western Europe . 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}. Corrections? Most of the objectives laid out by the reconnaissance crews were of either military or industrial importance. The government was blamed by some for inadequate precautions. Dissatisfaction with public shelters also led to another notable development in the East EndMickeys Shelter. 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." Apart from those on London, this was the greatest loss of life in any night raid during the Blitz. A charitable relief fund for the people of London was opened September 10. 13 Facts You Didn't Know About Belfast The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). Incendiary bombs predominated in this raid. 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'. The Belfast Blitz: April-May 1941 - History Ireland When the Blitz began, the government enforced a blackout in an attempt to make targeting more difficult for German night bombers. Revised estimates made decades later indicated that close to 600 men, women, and children had been killed in the bombing. Belfast Blitz: Marking the lost lives 80 years on. 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. 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. With tangled hair, staring eyes, clutching hands, contorted limbs, their grey-green faces covered with dust, they lay, bundled into the coffins, half-shrouded in rugs or blankets, or an occasional sheet, still wearing their dirty, torn twisted garments. Again the Irish emergency services crossed the border, this time without waiting for an invitation. After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged displaced people to take shelter at South Hallsville School. But the Luftwaffe was ready. These balloons, the largest of which were some 60 feet (18 metres) long, were essentially an airspace denial tool. Under the leadership of Prime Minister John Miller Andrews, Northern Ireland remained unprepared. He was replaced by 54-year-old Sir Basil Brooke on 1 May. The city has been a leader in women's rights. Death should be dignified, peaceful; Hitler had made even death grotesque. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. ISBN 9781909556324. 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." As many as 5,000 people had packed into this network of underground tunnels, which was dangerously overcrowded, dirty, and dark. William Joyce (known as "Lord Haw-Haw") announced in radio broadcasts from Hamburg that there will be "Easter eggs for Belfast". This amounted to nearly half of Britains total civilian deaths for the whole war. Read about our approach to external linking. The Belfast Blitz: the city in the war years - History Ireland Many people who were dug out of the rubble alive had taken shelter underneath their stairs and were fortunate that their homes had not received a direct hit or caught fire. Video, 00:00:26The German bombing of Coventry, Living through the London Blitz. An earlier flight on Oct. 18 allowed the crew to plot several targets in the city. 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. 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. 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. By mid-September 1940 the RAF had won the Battle of Britain, and the invasion was postponed indefinitely. 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. Outside of London, with some 900 dead, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Blitz. 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. 13 died, including a soldier killed when an anti-aircraft gun, at the Balmoral show-grounds, misfired. Brooke noted in his diary "I gave him authority as it is obviously a question of expediency". Mr Freeburn set out to find out more about those who died, their personal stories and the tales of those left behind. Blitz, The - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help 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. Singer-songwriter Van Morrison was born here. 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." Some 27 percent of Londoners utilized private shelters, such as Anderson shelters, while the remaining 64 percent spent their evenings on duty with some branch of the civil defense or remained in their own homes. On August 25 the British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin. Other targets included Sheffield, Manchester, Coventry, and Southampton. In Bristol, the bombed-out ruins of St Peter's Church were left standing with added memorial plaques to the civilians who were killed. 1. The bombs caused death and destruction across the city, affecting those of all religions and political backgrounds. Belfast | History, Population, Map, Landmarks, & Facts Three nights later (April 1920) London was again subjected to a seven-hour raid, and the loss of life was considerable, especially among firefighters and the A.R.P. Since most casualties were caused by falling masonry rather than by blast, they provided effective shelter for those who had them. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. 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.