A Belfast Blitz

This story was gathered and submitted by Roy Magee

“It’s not widely known today that Belfast was heavily bombed by the Germans during the war. said Sam Magee, my Dad. “They were after the shipyards and the industrial areas I think but their aim wasn’t that good. Most people only remember the IRA bombings but they’re only amateurs compared to the bloody Nazis.”
“We lived on the Shore Road right beside the railway shunting yard so we had an air-raid shelter in the back yard, just big enough for me and my Mum and Dad. When the sirens went we headed for the shelter and squeezed in. I remember my Mum’s knees knocking. Then we waited. “Next came the droning of the German planes. That sound sent a chill down our spines, we knew what was coming. Then we heard the whistling bombs and the anti-aircraft guns started firing at the bastards. That heartened us. As we huddled together I noticed Mums teeth were chattering. She couldn’t help it.
“Then came a huge thud like a giant fist had punched the ground. The concrete roof of the shelter lifted a few inches letting in a flash of white light, revealing the fear written across my parent’s faces, then clunked back down. Then the deafening explosion itself ripped through the air. It went on and on with us not knowing if the next one would land on us.“The next day I found that my fish tank, which sat on the back window sill, was full of slates but my six goldfish had survived.”
“After a few nights of that, we’d had enough and headed for my uncles house in Ligoniel just in time for another blitz. The Germans came in with the engines off.
We heard them swishing over our heads before dropping more whistlers on the Ardoyne.” “One night we decided to head into the fields. A lot of people were literally heading for the hills. Nowhere seemed safe. We had thick curtains over our heads to keep off the shrapnel from anti-aircraft shells. Many people thought the Germans were machine-gunning us but it was shrapnel from our own shells.
“All the animals headed for the hills too and in the dead silence before the bombing all you could hear was the sound of hundreds of feet and hooves. Then when the bombs fell the people scattered or followed one another like sheep.
“In the confusion someone had abandoned a little girl only of three or four years old and wearing just her nightdress. I picked her up and wrapped her in one of the curtains and brought her to my Mum for safekeeping. She later took her to the police but I don’t know what happened to her after that, I hope she’s still alive and kicking somewhere.”

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