The Blitz

The second world war (1939 to 1945) had a profound impact on the people of Belfast and the city itself. Because Belfast was a major ship building port, it attracted attention in the form of bombings during the second world war. A number of Belfast buildings where bombed, but then after the war rebuilt.

Just before the second world war there was mass unemployment in Belfast. But then, due to the ship building, Belfast boomed during the second world war[1]. This made Belfast a target for the German bombing. Belfast as a city suffered greatly during the Blitz. There where 3 raids[2]:

A total of 955 people where killed. About 3200 houses where destroyed[3]. In one raid in 1941, German bombers killed around 1000 thousand people and left thousands homeless. Outside of London, during the Battle of Britain, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid[4].

Because Northern Ireland was part of Great Brtain, it was at war, even though Ireland declared its neutrality during World War 2[5]. Working class areas around the ship yards where hit during the Blitz[6].

When times where hard during wartime, things had to be rationed and people had ration books / cards:

Ration Card

References

  1. Tim Lambert, A BRIEF HISTORY OF BELFAST, BELFAST IN THE 20th CENTURY. Available [online] from: http://www.localhistories.org/belfast.html [Accessed 6 March 2007].
  2. Tim Lambert, A BRIEF HISTORY OF BELFAST, BELFAST IN THE 20th CENTURY. Available [online] from: http://www.localhistories.org/belfast.html [Accessed 6 March 2007].
  3. Tim Lambert, A BRIEF HISTORY OF BELFAST, BELFAST IN THE 20th CENTURY. Available [online] from: http://www.localhistories.org/belfast.html [Accessed 6 March 2007].
  4. Wikipedia, History, Belfast. Available [online] from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast [Accessed 6 March 2007].
  5. Wikipedia, Background, Belfast Blitz. Available [online] from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_Blitz [Accessed 6 March 2007].
  6. Wikipedia, Conflict, Partition and World War, History of Belfast. Available [online] from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Belfast [Accessed 6 March 2007].

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© 2007 | Belfast History developed by David Bennett