On the eve of the most devasting raid on Belfast during its Blitz, Belfast was unprepared. Belfast had few air-raid shelters. The city was built on a geology of sleech which had a high water table and made digging deep…
The schemes for the evacuation of children from the city were finally getting underway. An avert for ‘Evacuation of Children’ in the Northern Whig set out the plans. Children of school age could go unaccompanied but those under school aged…
Delighted to announce that I’m leading five guided walks of Belfast as part of the Queen’s University Belfast’s Open Learning programme for the 2022 spring term. The walks will explore different areas of Belfast to uncover its complex and fascinating…
The Northern Whig stated that there was a ‘big holiday’ exodus for the Easter break. It reported that ‘seaside hotels and boarding-house keepers report a boom in business. People leaving the city were urged to leave their keys at the…
The aftermath of the Dockside Raid still dominated the local discourse. Moya Woodside, the Belfast housewife and Mass Observation reporter, reported three main ‘types of reaction to raids. Those whose whole life seems conditions by the possibility of a raid;…
The Belfast Telegraph was filled with stories of the Blitz on 7/8 April. David Dixon, a former Great War veteran, was in bed with an incendiary came trough the roof. He picked it up and took it outside. He was…
On 6 April 2022, my cohort of Belfast Green Badge Tourist guides attended a graduation at Belfast City Hall to celebrate completing our Belfast Green Badge Course. During the ceremony, we were given our certificates and official green badges. Of…
The papers reported that despite the raid of the 7/8 April, it was business as usual.[1] The Lord Mayor, Craford McCullagh called for fire watchers and volunteers.[2] Moya Woodside, Belfast housewife and Mass Observation Reporter, noted that: ‘‘Air raid still…
Belfast woke to find that it was now under aerial attack like so many British cities. For many it was quiet a novelty. The Belfast Telegraph reported that it was a ‘night of thrills’. It claimed there had been ‘hundreds’…
The first deliberate raid on Belfast took place. This is known as the dockside raid. Six Heinkel He 111 bombers, from Kampfgruppe 26, flying at 2,100 m. These bombers dropped three types of ordinance that would feature in the other…
