Nevertheless, for all the hardship it caused, the campaign proved to be a strategic mistake by the Germans. 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 danger faced in London was greatly increased when the V2 attacks started and the casualty figures mirrored those of the Blitz.. 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. Neighbouring residential areas were also hit. The Germans established that Belfast was defended by only seven anti-aircraft batteries, which made it the most poorly defended city in the United Kingdom. The Royal Air Force announced that Squadron Leader J.W.C. 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. ", Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz. In each station volunteers were asked for, as it was beyond their normal duties. 2023 BBC. 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). 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." Video, 00:00:26The German bombing of Coventry, Living through the London Blitz. Anna and Billy returned to England and continued running the children's home. (Great War casualties) had died in hospital beds, their eyes had been reverently closed, their hands crossed to their breasts. St George's Church in High Street was damaged by fire. The government was blamed by some for inadequate precautions. Simpson shot down one of the Heinkels over Downpatrick. More than 1,000 people were killed, and the damage was more widespread than on any previous occasion. The city has been a leader in women's rights. 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. With the surrender of France in June 1940, Germanys sole remaining enemy lay across the English Channel. Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. 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. Eduard Hempel, the German Minister to Ireland, visited the Irish Ministry for External Affairs to offer sympathy and attempt an explanation. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. The M.V. There were few bomb shelters. The British government had anticipated air attacks on its population centres, and it had predicted catastrophic casualties. The British thus fought with the advantage of superior equipment and undivided aim against an enemy with inconsistent objectives. Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go Belfast is as worthy a target as Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol or Glasgow." Belfast was largely unprepared for an attack of such a scale as 200 German bombers shelled the city on 15 April 1941. A Raid From Above 10 fascinating facts about Belfast that you probably didn't know Despite the attacks, Belfast continued to contribute to the war effort, and within less than a year the city witnessed the arrival of thousands of American troops. 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. By the time the raid was over, at least 744 people had lost their lives, including some living in places such as Newtownards, Bangor and Londonderry. The A.R.P. When the house was hit William, Harriette, Dorothy, 36-year-old Dot and 41-year-old Isa were all killed. In the eight months of attacks, some 43,000 civilians were killed. The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive. 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. Oakland plans to unleash 'pothole blitz' to fix notorious street damage 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. [citation needed]. Over the course of three days, some 1.5 million civiliansthe overwhelming majority of them childrenwere transported from urban centres to rural areas that were believed to be safe. Under the leadership of amon de Valera it had declared its neutrality during the Second World War. That night almost 300 people, many from the Protestant Shankill area, took refuge in the Clonard Monastery in the Catholic Falls Road. 19.99. One of every six Londoners was made homeless at some point during the Blitz, and at least 1.1 million houses and flats were damaged or destroyed. The shipyard was among the largest in the world, producing merchant vessels and military shipping. Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. It is situated at on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. 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. Other targets included Sheffield, Manchester, Coventry, and Southampton. KS3 History (Environment and society) The Belfast Blitz learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers. 11 churches, two hospitals and two schools were destroyed. Emma Duffin, a nurse at the Queen's University Hospital, (who previously served during the Great War), who kept a diary; For two hours on the first day, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters blasted London. Between Black Saturday and December 2, there was no 24-hour period without at least one alertas the alarms came to be calledand generally far more. The nights of November 3 and 28 were the only occasions during this period in which Londons peace was unbroken by siren or bomb. workers. "There are plans for one but there isn't one yet. "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.". The next took place on Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1941, when 200 Luftwaffe bombers attacked military and manufacturing targets in the city of Belfast. Major O'Sullivan reported that "In the heavily 'blitzed' areas people ran panic-stricken into the streets and made for the open country. Video, 00:00:36Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. In every instance, all stepped forward. Blitz, The - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help The Belfast Blitz: the city in the war years - History Ireland ", Dawson Bates informed the Cabinet of rack-renting of barns, and over thirty people per house in some areas.[24]. [12], There was little preparation for the conflict with Germany. The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn." Belfast was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. Corrections? During the first year of the war, behind-the-lines conditions prevailed in London. Video, 00:01:41, The German bombing of Coventry. 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. People hung black curtains in their windows so that no lights showed outside their houses. 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. 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. The Battle of Britain TOP 10: Facts About Belfast You Didn't Know - Ireland Before You Die Yesterday for once the people of Ireland were united under the shadow of a national blow. Video, 00:00:46, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. 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. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. 6. . The attacks by both V1's and V2's only ended as the Allies advanced up through Western Europe . These shelters, made of corrugated steel, were designed to be dug into a garden and then covered with dirt. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . Other Belfast factories manufactured gun mountings. Fewer than 4,000 women and children were evacuated. There is no slacking in our loyalty. In Newtownards, Bangor, Larne, Carrickfergus, Lisburn and Antrim many thousands of Belfast citizens took refuge either with friends or strangers. Apart from one or two false alarms in the early days of the war, no sirens wailed in London until June 25. C.S Lewis was born in Belfast, and the nearby countryside helped inspire The Chronicles of Narnia. Video, 00:01:38, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. On September 1, 1939, the day World War II began with Germanys invasion of Poland, the British government implemented a massive evacuation plan. 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 suffered a series of bombing raids in the spring of 1941, which became known as the 'Blitz of Belfast'. Read about our approach to external linking. 1. Video, 00:01:03One-minute World News, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages. Belfast confetti," said one archive news report. The sense of relative calm was abruptly shattered in the first week of September 1940, when the war came to London in earnest. Just before Easter 1941, Anna and Billy Burdett and their 12-year-old daughter, Dorothy, returned to Belfast from England to visit Anna's family. The Titanic was built in Belfast. The first deliberate raid took place on the night of 7 April. The Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.) From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. The raids hurt Britains war production, but they also killed many civilians and left many others homeless. The fourth and final Belfast raid took place on the following night, 56 May. (Some authors count this as the second raid of four). That contrasts with the figure that is often given of more than 900 killed on Easter Tuesday alone. The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg (lightning war). For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. 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. "Liverpool, Clydebank and Portsmouth all have a memorial to their victims of the Blitz. The district of Belfast has an area of 44 square miles (115 square km). The Blitz: When Was It, Why Did It Begin And How Did It End He was asked, in the N.I. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. John Wood Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre in Belfast in 1887. Brooke noted in his diary "I gave him authority as it is obviously a question of expediency". The attacks were authorized by Germany's chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. 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. Video, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. At the core of this book is a compelling account of the Luftwaffe's blitz on Belfast in April-May 1941. By then most of the major fires were under control and the firemen from Clydeside and other British cities were arriving. Video, 00:00:26, Living through the London Blitz. 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). Belfast - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help 55,000 houses were damaged leaving 100,000 temporarily homeless. Belfast is famous for being the birthplace of the Titanic. Hitlers intention had been to break the morale of the British people so they would pressure their government to surrender. The creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. The database Mr Freeburn has compiled is, he believes, the most accurate list of those killed and includes 222 children aged 16 or under. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. On August 25 the British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin. And even then, Westminster stated it was not ample provision; Stormont still worried about the costs to industry. Instead of pressing his advantage, however, Hitler abruptly changed his strategy. . These balloons, the largest of which were some 60 feet (18 metres) long, were essentially an airspace denial tool. That evening over 150 bombers left their bases in northern France and the Netherlands and headed for Belfast. Van Morrison is from the east part of the city. Video, 00:00:51Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. When incendiaries were dropped, the city burned as water pressure was too low for effective firefighting. So had Clydeside until recently. 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.". In early 1941 the Germans launched another wave of attacks, this time focusing on ports. It became a city by royal charter in 1888. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. The firm had produced Handley Page Hereford bombers since 1936. 13 Facts You Didn't Know About Belfast 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. devised the Morrison shelter (named for Home Secretary Herbert Stanley Morrison) as an alternative to the Anderson shelter. "But there is no such equivalent in Belfast. The government announced that 77 people had died, but for years local residents insisted the toll was much higher. The Belfast blitz. Again the Irish emergency services crossed the border, this time without waiting for an invitation. His report concluded with: "a second Belfast would be too horrible to contemplate". What happened in 1941 changed the city forever. [19], 220,000 people fled from the city. All were exhausted. 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. 10,000 "officially" crossed the border. The telegram was sent at 4:35am,[citation needed] asking the Irish Taoiseach, amon de Valera for assistance. This amounted to nearly half of Britains total civilian deaths for the whole war. 3. They remained for three days, until they were sent back by the Northern Ireland government. The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn.. 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. Belfast's Albert Clock tower is sinking - it leans by four feet. Authorities had noted Queens Island in the cityas a vulnerable point as early as 1929. 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 Germans, however, saw Belfast as a legitimate target due to the shipyards in the city that were contributing to Britain's war efforts. High explosive bombs predominated in this raid. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. After a brief lull, the Luftwaffe returned in force on February 17. 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. The Belfast Blitz was a series of devastating Luftwaffe air raids that took place in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. Thank you. As more and more people began sleeping on the platforms, however, the government relented and provided bunk beds and bathrooms for the underground communities. Anna and Billy were buried up their necks in sewage but were rescued and survived. 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. On 4-5 May, another raid, made up of 204 bombers, killed another 203 people and the following night 22 more died. 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. Only four were known still to be alive. [1][2], The third raid on Belfast took place over the evening and morning of 45 May 1941; 150 were killed. As well as photographs, the Luftwaffe gathered information on landmarks, potential targets and defences or lack thereof. headquarters, Toynbee hall and St. Dunstans; the American, Spanish, Japanese and Peruvian embassies and the buildings of the Times newspaper, the Associated Press of America, and the National City bank of New York; the centre court at Wimbledon, Wembley stadium, the Ring (Blackfriars); Drury Lane, the Queens and the Saville theatres; Rotten row, Lambeth walk, the Burlington arcade and Madame Tussauds. [citation needed]. 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." Yesterday the hand of good-fellowship was reached across the Border. No attendant nurse had soothed the last moments of these victims; no gentle reverent hand had closed their eyes or crossed their hands. 10 Facts about Belfast City. 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. 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. In clear weather, targets were easily identifiable. Roads out of town are still one stream of cars, with mattresses and bedding tied on top. It was not the last time Belfast would suffer.