A scene of devastation following the Belfast bombing of 1941. The government of Northern Ireland had long held the view that Belfast was simply too far away for the Luftwaffe to reach … but they were wrong.
The infamous ‘Easter Raid’ took place on April 15th/16th, 1941. Between 150 and 160 Luftwaffe bombers attacked Belfast and dropped around 200 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs. The city only had sixteen heavy calibre anti-aircraft guns which made little impact. Around 56,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Fire crews found that their hoses were of little use in the inferno because the water pressure was very low.The damage to the city was so great that the government in Stormont asked the Republic of Ireland for help. They sent thirteen fire appliances manned by 71 volunteers. They stayed in the North for three days.
Stormont had made preparations for two hundred fatalities. In this raid nearly 1,000 people were killed and 1,500 were injured, 400 seriously. Two hospitals had been hit, putting further pressure on the city’s medical facilities. Bodies were lain out in St. George’s Market to allow for identification. In fact, some remained unidentified and were buried in mass graves.
But what happened in Belfast after the war seems largely undocumented, at least in fictional terms. My forthcoming novel, Billy Blitz, tells the story of a young bricklayer, returning to Belfast from London, where he'd worked with the Blitz Repair Squads. Now working to repair his own damaged city, he meets up again with the love of his life, Judith, a Jewish refugee. The novel charts the issues that the couple face in post-war Belfast, and introduces the major topic of forgiveness. What is forgiveness? Are we all capable of it? Or … should we be?
Discover more @ http://www.darkmournepress.com