Developed in partnership with:
In 1941, the Blitz arrived in Belfast. Working with Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum, we set out to explore the Belfast Blitz from a medical history perspective, focusing on injury, shock, stress-related illness and medical care.
We drew from Northern Ireland War Memorial’s oral histories collection and Blitz-related material to develop new insight into Belfast’s traumatic experience of the Second World War.
Developed by Ian Miller and Rebecca Watterson (Ulster University) with Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum.
Gallery
A selection of medical items held at Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum.
Images
1. Red Cross nurse uniform
2. Red Cross helmet.
3. ARP warden’s first aid box.
4. First aid kit (with contents)
5. Child’s gas mask.
6. Atlas of Air-Raid Injuries (London: HMSO, 1944). Wounds of Scalp due to Falling Debris (Faked casualty).
7. Stretcher frame
8. Atlas of Air-Raid Injuries (London: HMSO, 1944) (Faked casualty).
9. British Red Cross Society badges.
10. British Red Cross Society – Voluntary Aid Detachment Card of Kathleen Bourgoune, Knock, Belfast.
11. Sunglasses for the North Africa campaign
Articles
A series of posts by Ian Miller, Ulster University.
(1)Preparing for the Blitz
By the 1930s, it was clear that aircraft would play a major role in future military actively. In cities including Belfast, fears ominously arose that the German army might drop gas and bombs on civilians from far above…
(2) Easter Tuesday: Injury and Death
Bodies, whether dead or alive, were horrifically mutilated. Heads were crushed, faces and abdomens were wounded, bodies had been mangled and penetrated by beams. As well as being crushed by falling debris, those caught under burning hot bricks risked being cooked alive…
(3) Makeshift Morgues
Bodies, or what remained of them (which wasn’t always very much), overspilled into the hospital’s back yard. A strong smell of decomposing flesh lingered across the hospital…
(4) Aftermaths and Stress-Related Illness
As the days went on, food rotted in shops; animal carcasses lay by the road sides. Rumours spread that cholera, dysentery and typhoid were spreading throughout Belfast, causing considerable public anxiety. Typhoid vaccines were given out at the Royal Victoria Hospital, just in case the disease struck…
(5) A Hidden Health Crisis
According to Moya Woodside, families now put up with young evacuees living in their homes who were filthy, smelly, refused all food except bread and tea, and enjoyed urinating all over the floor…
Podcast Interview
An interview with Dr James O’Neill, Collections Officer at Northern Ireland War Memorial about the preparations made for gas attacks in Second World War Belfast.
Video
Northern Ireland War Memorial hosts a collection of oral histories on a YouTube channel.
During the Blitz, Sheila the Elephant escaped from Belfast Zoo. The friendly elephant turned up in many people’s houses looking for food and drink.