Wartime museum recalls deadly impact of Luftwaffe raids
THE recent discovery of a 500kg Second World War bomb in Newtownards has revived memories of the events of the Belfast Blitz when the German air force bombed Belfast during four air raids in April and May 1941.
The unexploded bomb, found in the Rivenwood estate, has most likely lay hidden since the Easter Tuesday raid which took place on the night of April 15-16 1941 and claimed over 700 lives across Belfast. Outside the city, bombs also fell on Bangor, Londonderry and Newtownards, resulting in the loss of a further 32 lives.
The Northern Ireland War Memorial (NIWM) has been collecing oral histories from local people for several years and among their archive is a recording by the late William Gazzard (1922-2020), an eyewitness to the events in Newtownards that tragic night.
William was born in Clackmannan, Scotland and joined the Royal Air Force (RAF). After training in England as a wireless operator, he was posted to RAF Newtownards.
In 2019, William told the NIWM: “The people all round went up Scrabo for shelter in case the bombers came and they left the town and they ran. I was working in the Operations Room handling what was happening in the RAF Station. I was doing shift work there, on duty for handling messages. There was somebody killed.”
William was uninjured but, sadly, there were 13 casualties at the airfield. The Belfast Civil Defence War Room was notified at 1.10am by telegram from Squadron Leader Fearon of Aerodrome that some ‘H.E. and I.B.’s’ (high explosives and incendiary bombs) had been dropped on the airfield with ‘casualties among guards’.
Around 12 Nissen huts were destroyed at RAF Newtownards, and this included the Headquarters of the 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. All the casualties at Newtownards belonged to this unit. Among them were local men and the youngest was only 16 years old.
They were:
• Fusilier William Bellamy (28), buried in Sugon-in-Ashfield Cemetery.
• Fusilier Samuel Burke (18) of Braehead, Co. Londonderry, buried in Londonderry City Cemetery.
• Lance Corporal Alexander Carlisle (19) has no known grave but is commemorated on the Brookwood Memorial, Surrey.
• Fusilier Andrew Copling (16) of Dromore, Co. Down, buried in Dromore Cathedral churchyard.
• Fusilier Hugh Fulton (17) of Markethill Co. Armagh, buried in St Lukes Churchyard, Belleek, Co. Armagh.
• Fusilier George Graham (24), buried in Dundonald Cemetery.
• Fusilier Daniel Higgins (25), buried in Movilla Cemetery, Newtownards.
• Fusilier Leslie Love (34), buried in Carlton Cemetery, Noingham, England.
• Fusilier Samuel McFarland (19), buried in St. Patricks, Clogherney, Co. Tyrone.
• Company Quartermaster William McMurray (27), buried in Bessbrook Methodist Cemetery, Co. Down.
• Fusilier Ernest McNeill (17), buried in St Luke’s Churchyard, Mullaghglass, Newry, Co. Down.
• Warrant Officer Andrew Penfold (36) buried in Glendermog Parish Churchyard, Co. Londonderry.
• Fusilier Maghew Wright (18) of Coleraine, Co. Londonderry died 17 April 1941 and is buried at St Mary’s Churchyard, Macosquin.
In 2012, a commemorative stone was placed at the airfield in remembrance of the men who died. The memorial was funded by Ards and North Down Borough Council, the Northern Ireland War Memorial and Trustees of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Two days after the Easter Tuesday raids, an intelligence summary states that over 60 unexploded bombs were reported across Belfast as well as in Bangor, Derriaghy, Dundonald, Dunmurry, Greenisland, Holywood, Newtownards and Whiteabbey.
These bombs were dealt with in the days and weeks following the raid. However, as the recent discovery at Rivenwood shows, such hidden ordnance can still pose a threat.
The museum continues to interview people who lived through the war years for its ongoing oral history project, The War and Me. First-hand accounts feed directly into the museum’s exhibitions and learning resources and will be made accessible to future generations studying the Second World War.
The museum is interested in accounts of the air raids, but also memories of the Ulster Home Guard, rationing, evacuation, allies such as the Americans, airfields, industry, volunteering on the home front, VE Day and VJ Day and service in the armed forces or civil defence.
Anyone who would like to share their story, please call NIWM Research Officer, Michael Burns on 07588 634847 or email projects@niwarmemorial.org.
The Northern Ireland War Memorial (NIWM) is a museum that provides a window on Northern Ireland’s key role in the Second World War and the impact of the war on its people. It was established to provide an enduring memorial for the men and women of Northern Ireland who died in the two World Wars, and to commemorate the American presence in Northern Ireland during the Second World War.
Now an accredited museum, the NIWM’s mission is to tell the story of Northern Ireland’s role in the Second World War comprehensively and authentically through engaging exhibitions, publications, research, outreach, and accessible learning programmes.
In addition, the organisation maintains war memorials to the fallen in the First and Second World War and the Belfast Blitz. The NIWM organises commemorations, provides office and meeting accommodation to ex-service charities, and awards small grants to projects which are in line with its charitable objectives.
The museum, situated at 21 Talbot Street, Belfast, is free to visit and open Monday to Friday from 10:00am to 4:30pm and every Saturday from 12:00pm to 4:00pm.
