VE DAY 80th Anniversary…

TE Lawrence is a Slugger regular from Belfast

As the UK celebrates the 80^th anniversary of victory in Europe during World War II, it should be remembered how Northern Ireland played a crucial role in the Allied war effort. It served as a major base for Allied Forces, particularly the American military.

It housed a large number of troops, including over 300,000 personnel.

The Royal Navy used Belfast Castle as its Operations Headquarters.

A Blackout Order came into force in 1939 and preparations for rationing of food, petrol and other items followed soon after. Food rationing in Northern Ireland finished in 1954.

The regions factories and shipyards were heavily involved in producing war materials, including aircraft, ships, munitions and other essential supplies.

Between 1940 and 1945 the Belfast Shipyards produced 140 warships, 123 merchant ships and repaired or converted at least 300 ships. The Shorts Aircraft Factory produced 1200 Stirling Bombers and 125 Sunderland Flying Boats.

Female employment, in particular, grew rapidly during the war, expanding by over 8,000 in 1943, with the demand for the production of Tents, Parachutes, shells, and bombs.

The war saw a huge increase in food production across Northern Ireland, and land under tillage increased from 150K acres to over 850K acres. The Government’s ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign encouraged every patch of ground to be cultivated, and the initiative saw Queens University, Golf Clubs, Stormont Estate, and even Wallace Park, Lisburn, turned over in part to agriculture.

Northern Ireland’s strategic location, particularly its north coast, was crucial for the Battle of the Atlantic, enabling Allied aircraft to patrol the Atlantic and protect convoys from German attacks.

It was home to numerous existing and newly constructed airfields, which held all types of Allied aircraft.

The Americans used the place as its major training ground for its troops. At its peak, there were 120,000 American soldiers stationed in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland housed evacuees from other parts of the British Isles. In April and May 1941, Belfast experienced four major German air raids, highlighting the city’s strategic importance and contribution to the war effort.

55,000 houses were damaged, leaving 100,000 people temporarily homeless, with nearly 1000 lives lost.

Prior to the Belfast Blitz, there were only 200 public shelters in the city, although around 4000 households had built their own private shelters called Anderson Shelters, which were constructed of sheets of corrugated galvanised iron covered in earth.

The Northern Ireland Parliament at Stormont was painted black with a mixture of tar and manure in 1941 to hide it from the Luftwaffe Bombers. The removal of this after the war still affects the colour of this building to this day.

HMS Belfast played a significant role in the D-Day landings leading the opening bombardment of Operation Overlord – The Allied Invasion of Nazi occupied France

44,000 men volunteered to become soldiers to fight in the war. The four NI regiments who saw service were the Irish Fusiliers, the Enniskillin Fusiliers, the Irish Guards and the Ulster Rifles, who had multiple battalions, including their 1st & 2nd Battalions, which were deployed on D-Day. It is estimated that 10% of Ulster Soldiers died on the battlefield. I had three uncles who went off to fight across North Africa and then up through Italy. Sadly, one never came home and lies in the Commonwealth Military Cemetery in Cassino, Italy.

The Ulster Home Guard was formed in 1940 and rose to 12,000 men. The duties and training accompanying the Home Guard role were to oppose any German airborne invasion.

I hope everyone enjoys the anniversary parties that shall be held from young to old across the province as without doubt Northern Ireland played its role in World War Two and the fight against Nazism.