Belfast Blitz - The Easter Tuesday Blitz

The Easter Tuesday Blitz

William Joyce (known as "Lord Haw-Haw") announced in radio broadcasts from Hamburg that there will be “Easter eggs for Belfast”.

On Easter Tuesday 15 April 1941, spectators watching a football match at Windsor Park noticed a lone Luftwaffe Junkers Ju-88 aircraft circling overhead. There was no military response. Distillery F.C. defeated Linfield F.C. by 3 goals to 1.

That evening up to 200 bombers left their bases in northern France and the Netherlands and headed for Belfast. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dorniers.

At 10:40pm the air raid sirens sounded. Accounts differ as to when flares were dropped to light up the city. The first attack was against the city's waterworks, which had been attacked in the previous raid. High explosives were dropped. Initially it was thought that the Germans had mistaken this reservoir for the harbour and shipyards, where many ships, including HMS Ark Royal were being repaired. However that attack was not an error. Three vessels nearing completion at Harland and Wolff's were hit as was its power station. Wave after wave of bombers dropped their incendiaries, high explosives and land-mines. When incendiaries were dropped the city burned as water pressure was too low for firefighting.

Public buildings destroyed or badly damaged included Belfast City Hall's Banqueting Hall, the Ulster Hospital for Women and Children and Ballymacarrett library both on Templemore Avenue, Strand Public Elementary School, the LMS Railway Station and the adjacent Midland Hotel on York Road, and Salisbury Avenue Tram Depot.

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 (not rebuilt).

Streets heavily bombed in the city centre included High Street, Anne Street, Callender Street, Chichester Street, Castle Street, Tomb Street, Bridge Street (effectively obliterated), Rosemary Street, Waring Street, North Street, Victoria Street, Donegall Street, York Street, Gloucester Street, and East Bridge Street.

In the east of the city, Westbourne and Newcastle Streets on the Newtownards Road, Thorndyke Street off the Albertbridge Road and Ravenscroft Avenue were bombed or destroyed.

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. Burke Street, in the New Lodge area was wiped off the map with all its houses destroyed and most of the occupants killed.

There was no opposition. In the mistaken belief that they might damage RAF fighters, the seven anti-aircraft batteries ceased firing. But the RAF had not responded. The bombs continued to fall until 5 am.

Fifty-five thousand houses were damaged leaving 100,000 temporarily homeless. Outside of London, with some 900 dead, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Blitz. A stray bomber attacked Derry killing 15. Another attacked Bangor killing 5.

By 4 am the entire city seemed to be in flames. At 4:15 am MacDermott, the Minister of Public Security managed to contact Basil Brooke (then Agriculture Minister), seeking permission to seek help from the Éire Government. Brooke noted in his diary "I gave him authority as it is obviously a question of expediency". Since 1:45 am all telephones had been cut. Fortunately, the railway telegram from Belfast to Dublin was still operational. The telegram was sent at 4:35 am, asking the Irish Taoiseach, de Valera for assistance.