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This is not
a story of people who went to war.
Rather it is the terrible experience of one
city's citizens - men, women and children - when a world
war came to them.
In one crucial respect the Second World War was unlike
its 1914-18 predecessor: air power. In the spring of
1940 the Panzer units swept through the Low Countries
and the Ardennes.
France fell in June. Now that Hitler had control of
airfields in northern France, it became increasingly
clear that major cities in the United Kingdom were within
reach of German aircraft.
But few in Belfast believed there was much chance of
their being bombed.
They were wrong...
- Jonathan Bardon
Read about the
background and context to the Belfast Blitz...
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See
the other sections in this article:
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A sample of your responses...
"Although
the war was in it's second year, Easter 1941 had passed peacefully
for the Hughes family living in Dunluce Avenue in what was
known as "the most unprotected city in the United Kingdom"
because Belfast was well ouside the range of the Luftwaffe.
- Peter Hughes
Read Peter's full story...
"Easter
Tuesday 1941, school was closed for the Easter holiday and
we children were free to play all day at the various street
games which were so popular at that time. No one I knew went
away for holidays at Easter and especially not now when war
was raging throughout Europe."
- Ruth McCart
Read Ruth's full story...
"My
regiment was stationed at the Pollock dock in Belfast. We
were sited between the Harland & Wolff Shipyard and the "Ark
Royal" aircraft carrier, which was in dock for repair. During
the night of the Belfast Blitz the loud throbbing of a great
number of aircraft overhead wakened us."
- Frank Johnston (Royal Artillery)
Read Frank's full story...
Read
all of your responses here....
Relevant web-links:
BBC History - Belfast
Blitz
BBC News - Belfast
Blitz remembered
History Ireland - Belfast
Blitz
Blitz
Article by Belfast High School, St Louis Grammar, Kilkeel
and Inver College, Co. Monaghan.
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