大象传媒

W .W. II began in September 1939 and ended in May 1945. At the start of the war we went about life as usual. Although the Republic of Ireland had declared its neutrality during World War II, Belfast was part of the United Kingdom and was at war. The government at that time was more concerned with providing ammunition, ships, and food for the mainland. They in their wisdom felt that N. Ireland was too far away from Germany, and assumed because of the distance we would be safe. The first air-raid on Belfast took place on the night of 7th April 1941. It targeted the docks, but neighboring residential areas were hit. The German planes dropped incendiaries, high explosives and parachute-bombs. Thirteen people were dead including a soldier, when an anti-aircraft battery at the Balmoral show-grounds misfired.
The second air-raid on Belfast was on 15th April 1941, on Easter Tuesday evening. Two hundred bombers left their bases in northern France and headed for Belfast at 10:40pm. The air鈥攔aid sirens sounded. The first target was the city Water Works. It was thought that the Germans had mistaken it for the harbour and shipyards, where the HMS Ark Royal, along with other ships, was being repaired. However, it was not an error. When the incendiaries dropped, Belfast burned because the water pressure was too low for fire-fighting. The bombers dropped the following on the city: 203 metric tons of high explosive bombs, 80 landmines attached to parachutes, and 800 fire-bomb canisters containing 96,000 incendiary bombs.
Things were very different in those days. We had no radio and few people could afford a newspaper. All of our information was second-hand. Everyone was in the same situation. When the bombs fell anybody鈥檚 name could be on it. When you live every day with the fear that each day could be your last, you turn to religion or become reckless. The air-raid shelter on our street was painted inside with distemper. Everyone on the street helped out at Our Lady. All the children gathered wildflowers of bluebells and buttercups to place on the altar. Every night after supper the people gathered to say the rosary. Some comfort was gained from this. We had just enough of the essentials. We had food, heat, and clothing for our daily needs. People accepted this as a price they were willing to pay for their freedom. We just got on with our lives and did the best we could with what little we had.

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