VE Day: Belfast erupted in joy with burning bonfires, band parades and frisky sailors

Margaret Wilson had her home bombed by the Luftwaffe during one of the series of springtime raids in 1941 which made up the Blitz – raids which killed around 1,000 citizens and demolished much of the city’s housing stock.

The first of the German bombings had begun on the night of April 7/8, followed by another much heavier one on April 15/16, then another serious attack on May 4/5, and a final small raid on May 5/6.

Mrs Wilson cannot recall with certainty the date of her narrow escape, but it appears likely it was April 7.

An incendiary device plunged through the roof of her McMaster Street terrace in east Belfast at night, onto the (thankfully empty) bed of her uncle, and burrowed and smouldered its way down through the house.

The nearby St Patrick’s Church of Ireland, the evacuation point, was on fire too.

She was 10-years-old.

Now aged 89 (and still living in east Belfast) she remembered how the devastated city celebrated when news came through of the Nazi surrender.

“It was a joyous time. I was 15 by then,” she said.

“We went into the centre of the city and – my goodness! There were thousands of people in the city hall grounds!”

She recalled seeing other girls embracing military men in uniform.

“We joined hands and did the conga, and we played silly games. There must have been a ship in, for there was an awful lot of sailors at the time, and they were grabbing all the girls et cetera – and to be honest, the girls weren’t objecting.

“It was all innocent and very good fun. Then the Royal Family all came out on the balcony. We didn’t have television; we were confined to watching that in cinema on the newsreels.”

Meanwhile, Alec Murray recalled being in the Boys’ Brigade, at their annual end-of-year party in Townsend Street, off the Shankill Road.

“I remember the day VE was declared. The captain of the BB came in. There was tears in his eyes.

“He said: ‘I’ve got a great announcement to tell you – war has been ceased! Germany gave their unconditional surrender!’.”

He too had been close to the horror of the Luftwaffe’s campaign; on April 15, 1941, a nearby bomb shelter on Percy Street took a direct hit, killing dozens inside.

And when he walked through the carnage the next day, he remembers “a lady and her child stuck against the wall”, impaled “like a spear”.

At the news war was over, Mr Murray and friends cheered and took to the streets.

People dismantled the bomb shelters, using the doors to build bonfires.

“I was in Agnes Street band at the time [playing the cornet], and the bands came out and marched down the Shankill Road to the city hall.

“There was thousands of people gathered! And we danced and sung until about 5am.”

He also went over to the Albert Clock, where the scenes were much the same.

On the Shankill, he believed a number of Orangemen had come out. He also described people mixing happily with their neighbours on the Falls Road.

Now aged 89 and living in east Belfast (and still a member of a Salvation Army band), he added simply: “I will never forget it.”

VE DAY 75: What is happening and when? Northern Ireland remembers the victory over Nazism three-quarters of a century ago

READ MORE STORIES FROM BLITZ SURVIVORS:

Belfast Blitz: ‘My house was hit twice. My neighbours died. My hair fell out. I’m lucky’

Belfast Blitz: ‘I watched a landmine descending from sky, coming directly at us’

Belfast Blitz: ‘I watched from a hedge as the city burned below me’

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor