First Bombing of Northern Ireland?

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by Swiper, May 4, 2011.

  1. Swiper

    Swiper Resident Sospan

    Anyone know when NI was first bombed?

    I've watched the Belfast Blitz documentary buuut...

    "On the 13th September Northern Ireland experienced its first air-raid when a single German plane dropped a few incendary rounds... later when a heavy air raid on Belfast took place units of the Division.... were able to assist the Civil authorities in rescue work." This is in regards to 1940.

    Ok... headache thats in CN Barclay's history of 53rd Welsh Division, was there a bombing of Belfast prior to 1941?
     
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    a piece here re Bangor
    The Bombing of Bangor - Second World War in Northern Ireland


    The Friday 13th September 1940 Air Raid.
    There appears to be little recorded regarding a German Air Raid on Bangor on Friday 13th September 1940.
    At 0400 on that morning a four engined German Bomber dropped 22 Incendiary Bombs on Bangor from what has been estimated as being 4000 feet.
    The aircraft had approached Bangor from the direction of Belfast and after the raid was reported to have changed direction over Clandeboye and headed towards Newtownards.
    Approximately 15 of the incendiaries fell in the Main Street area where one went through the roof of Brice’s Auction Rooms and started a fire in the upper floor before burning its way through to the lower floor where damage was done to the floor and a table.
    Another bomb lodged in the joist over a doorway of a loft at Jacob O’Neill’s Funeral Furnishing premises. It burned through the joist and fell behind some wall panelling causing damage but did not reach the floor.
    The Electricity Board’s premises had a bomb fall through the roof which burnt its way to a concrete floor where it did no further damage.
    Four bombs fell on the premises of R. Neill & Sons in Main Street where slight damage was caused to the roof’s of a Joiners Shop, Saddlers Shop and a coal shed.
    Fortunately one bomb which fell in the Gas Works failed to detonate.
    The roofs of outhouses at both McCormick’s and Patterson’s Butchers Shops were damaged and the corrugated roof of John A Jamison’s Painters in High Street was penetrated and a timber wall, glass and a quantity of wallpaper was destroyed.
    The dropping of these bombs was reported immediately by the Bangor Stationmaster and the Town Clerk who had seen the flashes.
    Both the regular Fire Brigade and A.F.S. attended and the fire at Brice’s Auction Rooms was the only one which threatened to become extensive however it was soon brought under control.
    No casualties occurred during this attack …….These were to happen at a later date.

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  3. ww2ni

    ww2ni Senior Member

    Hi,
    Re the above. I am hoping to be able to find the precise locations to update the site as to what the various properties mentioned in the piece actually are now.
     

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