Belfast Air Raid Investigation
ASSIGNMENT TWO: OBJECTIVE THREE
. Source A suggests that the air-raid on Belfast had relatively little effect. There were few casualties and defences coped well. However, there is no specific content. This is probably due to it being a censored government publication, which does not want to ruin morale. It also mentions fires being extinguished very quickly and anti-aircraft fire being maintained by ground defences.
2. (i) Sources C and D differ from A and B in numerous ways. Firstly, source A is describing the first raid on Belfast, whereas sources B, C and D are describing the second raid. Sources A and B are released to the public by the government, whilst C and D are confidential reports. The sources quite clearly differ over the effects of the raid. Sources A and B are more vague; to make raids sound light. This is due to them being censored by the government, to ensure they have little impact on the people and in fact raise their morale. Sources C and D however, are more factual containing precise figures and details. Source B says 'some districts, shops and houses were damaged' and a 'small number' were killed. Conversely, source C has more specific content saying, 'big fires in the Crumlin Road' and they are far from light. Source A describes how fire services dealt well. However, source D describes the fire fighting as, 'completely inadequate.' Therefore, we can say sources A and B are trying to give an appearance of calm, but sources C and D are giving a more realistic picture.
2. (ii) I think the origin of the source explains why the sources are different. Both C and D are official government statements, which are intended to remain top secret. However, sources A and B are distributed to the public. Anything at this time that the public had access to and the media would be government censored. These sources were to maintain morale, ensuring there was not an outbreak of panic among the people. Also, the government always wants to stay in favour with the public, and not be seen as failing or letting them down. This is the reason why sources A and B say fire and defence services coped well. Obviously any information concerning fire fighting equipment being sent back to Britain from Northern Ireland would be detrimental. This was under the grounds it would not be needed here. It was John MacDermott, the newly appointed Minister of Public Security who made this discovery.
Therefore, sources A and B do not contain a lot of specific information. Source B plays down the second raid saying, 'small number of people were killed.' However, Dr Brian Bartan says of the raid, 'The statistics were harrowing - possibly the worst for any city in the British Isles outside London during the war - with 745 dead, 430 injured, 3,500 houses demolished and 10,000 damaged.'
Sources C and D contained some sensitive information which could damage morale greatly, and in doing so damage the government. Source C shows how strict the media was, by telling exactly how many districts were damaged, whereas source B only stated 'some districts' being affected. These details would be compiled for the government, so are likely to be as accurate as possible. This is why the content is specific. They clearly highlight the severity of the second raid, and if available to the public it would cause a strong reaction when the reason for it was found. Belfast's protection against raids was meagre. The government was more concerned over financial issues, instead of erecting the necessary shelters and preparing accordingly. Belfast had the lowest shelter provision of any comparable city in the United Kingdom - a particularly dangerous situation for the city with the greatest density of population. The government were worried it would cost too much, and didn't even expect to need the shelters. Furthermore, the shelters had a major problem with their design.
3. Source D is very useful in helping to support E. It is a confidential report and is likely to be accurate and reliable. Additionally it gives exclusive evidence, highlighting there were casualties, fatalities and damage. Although it is specific, it does not hide the fact the city was ill prepared for what was going to face them. It actually looks at the specific areas that were not fit for the task - ambulances, disposal of bodies, shelters (lack of them). However, it is compiled for the government and therefore does not place blame on anyone, or is ...
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3. Source D is very useful in helping to support E. It is a confidential report and is likely to be accurate and reliable. Additionally it gives exclusive evidence, highlighting there were casualties, fatalities and damage. Although it is specific, it does not hide the fact the city was ill prepared for what was going to face them. It actually looks at the specific areas that were not fit for the task - ambulances, disposal of bodies, shelters (lack of them). However, it is compiled for the government and therefore does not place blame on anyone, or is unlikely to be openly critical. The fact that some of these key services were insufficient helps to explain why Belfast suffered so greatly in only four raids. Source E is compiled from official figures, and also importantly, they were gathered years after the air raids. They are likely to be accurate having more of the information by this stage. It shows no other city suffered to such an extent with so few raids. For example, Southampton and Portsmouth had fifteen times as many raids, but yet neither matched the high figures of Belfast's deaths and houses destroyed or damaged. This can help us understand the intensity of these few raids on Belfast and their effect on the city. Source F is also useful in explaining the wide spread damage in Belfast. This source refers to 1939, not 1941 at the time of the raids, however, it still is helpful. Belfast was the least protected of the British cities listed, and very under-equipped. The exact figure stated was a mere 16 anti-aircraft guns, quite obviously a main reason explaining why so much damage was caused; due to having so little to fight back with.
4. Source G is very useful in understanding the effects the bombing had upon the lives of the people of Belfast. It was drawn up by the Northern Ireland Ministry of Public Security Intelligence, and is likely to be reliable and as accurate as circumstances allowed. It would not intentionally be inaccurate, although it is very difficult in the panic, confusion, and chaos of a raid to obtain all information. It is intended for the government, therefore there is no intent to deceive. The document covers a specific time period, giving precise figures. It could be argued that since this information is so precise, it is likely to be more useful in showing the direct effect of the bombing than an interview such as source H, although source H is still quite useful, despite its weaknesses. Since it is an interview with someone who has first hand information from the raids, and has lived through the aftermath. Such an account gives a useful insight into how people were affected. The content of the source does concur with the content of source G, which shows that a high number of fatalities occurred. However, source H is not as specific as source G, 'I think that there were a hundred killed that night.' Source H is very useful in giving us an insight into how the people felt about the blitz, 'people's lives were upturned just overnight and people were petrified with fear; they couldn't really believe what had happened to them.' In this source we can see the feelings of the people, something which statistics, such as source G, are never able to articulate. However, we must treat this source with a degree of caution, since Mr McFall was only a child of 10 years when the blitz occurred. Also, this interview was conducted after the war, but we do not know exactly when. This may explain why he is unable to be exact when he speaks of the numbers dead. Source J is also useful, considering it shows us exactly what the damage was like. It is referring to the shelter that Mr McFall talked about. He claimed one hundred lives were taken, and source J showed no sign of the shelter suggesting severe damage was inflicted. However, this source was printed in a newspaper; of course censored by the government. It could be another example of propaganda, obviously intended to boost morale. In this photograph, houses are still standing; suggesting the bombs had little effect upon the people of Belfast. Furthermore, there are no dead bodies, or any emergency services. We have no idea if this is the full picture. Since this was censored it clearly does not show the full impact of the raid and is therefore less useful than sources G and H in indicating how the raids affected people in Northern Ireland.
5. Source L was clearly intended to raise morale. It was printed in a censored newspaper, so contained no sensitive information, or specific facts. It is clearly patriotic, praising the courage, determination and strength of the people of Belfast. It was possibly part of a British propaganda programme, attempting to show that all was well. This source justifies the 'noble cause' and talks of the need for sacrifice. It praises the character of the people throughout, saying, 'our growing courage.'
The source is negative only once when it mentions 'wrecked homes' but does not account for damage or number of fatalities.
Source A was an official statement released by the government to the press, describing the affects of the first raid. This information was censored to firstly, prevent information getting into enemy hands and also to maintain the morale of the Northern Irish people, and gain their support. The content shows this; there are no specific details of impact of the raid, does not mention areas of damage, and plays down the number of casualties - describing them as 'small'. Contrary to this however, McGimpsey says 13 were killed, 23 were seriously injured and 58 slightly injured when describing this same raid. McGimpsey is the author of the book 'Bombs on Belfast' written about the Belfast blitz of 1941. His statistics are very different from those source A states as only 'a few were fatal'. Obviously this source was so general in content to ensure that panic did not ensue, and furthermore to maintain high morale among the people. The language is also aimed to give a sense of calm and reassurance - again trying to maintain morale. It is very upbeat, encouraging, and showing Belfast is not suffering at the hands of the Germans. The fire services are praised, and generally it shows that Belfast stood up to the enemy. However, it does not tell us how accurate the German bombing had been or if they managed to shoot down any enemy aircraft. It is very likely though, if they did shoot any down, it would be displayed and used as propaganda. The source does not tell of Belfast having no searchlights or that it had been described as the most unprotected major city in the United Kingdom. Such information would be too sensitive to release to the public, and severely morale damaging.
The tone of both sources clearly outline the government's attempt to boost morale and reassure the people that the authorities and government had no difficulty in coping with the German raids. The language in both is very encouraging. Source A speaks of a prompt and resourceful fire service; fires being extinguished very quickly, whilst in source L they talk of determination and growing courage. Both the tone and language are clearly intended to boost morale and ensure public support for the war effort.
6. It is very difficult to produce an accurate, reliable reconstruction about an event, which occurred more than sixty years ago. Also, this event took place during a time of immense chaos and confusion in the World War. However, the ultimate reason for the difficulty in reconstruction is due to the strict government censorship. Much information was sensitive about Northern Ireland's preparation and complacency; making it, 'the most unprotected major city in the UK.' Certainly there was a deliberate attempt by the government to conceal the true nature of the raids and their impact on Belfast.
One of the greatest problems is the issue of reliability; which we can trust, or not trust. Government sources tend to be reliable but even they are not objective or openly critical. They do not give the full picture and can be biased. Source D hints at inadequacies, like the fire services, ambulances and rescue parties but blame is not placed upon anybody. Government sources do not say they were caught unaware and totally unprepared. These sources show a deliberate attempt to conceal vital information. Sources we think are reliable and accurate may still not include the whole picture or disclose all the facts. Reliability is never one hundred percent.
Reconstructions are increasingly difficult when many sources contradict one another. The reliability and provenance of the source must be examined closely. Source A suggests the government coped well with the attack, whereas sources D and F suggest the government did not cope well. Since D is a confidential report we assume it is more likely to be accurate. Source D talks of the fire service being good. But other sources, for example, Brian Barton, shows this was not the case.
'In all 140 fires were started, 4 of them conflagrations, and many of them were not even under control until 12 hours after the raid had ended. All the fire engines in the province were called in to help and at 4.30 a.m. the Dublin government was approached for help...'
The reasons why the fire services were not up to the task faced was due to fighting equipment being sent back to mainland Britain from Northern Ireland. This outlines a large degree of complacency of the government concerning Belfast's situation and the disastrous preparation for air raids.
John MacDermott, the newly appointed Minister of Public Security, discovered that a cabinet colleague had been returning the meagre ration of fire-fighting equipment to Britain on the grounds that it was not needed in Belfast. It was only after the second raid that the government supplemented fire fighters with equipment from the mainland.
Source B hides the true impact of the raid due to its government censorship. It speaks of 'some districts' being damaged, but in fact damage was widespread and many streets were actually obliterated. Sources C, D, E, and H show the true impact of the second raid. Sources C, D, and G were secret government documents and were likely to be accurate, although some inconsistencies may appear in government sources too. For example, those in source G claim that 500 people were dead; yet later figures listed in government figures it was 445 dead.
Source L talks of 'a spirit of quiet determination' after this raid, but fails to mention that some 10,000 people walked into the countryside every night and slept in the open air rather than face another blitz. Source D mentions this, but does not give the scale of the exodus.
A further problem arises when using anecdotal evidence, such as that in source H. Mr McFall's experiences were when he was a child, but are first-hand. The interview was carried out after the war, although we do not know how long after. It must be remembered with this type of source, there is the possibility of memory loss, exaggeration, hindsight, or omission of facts. He talks of the Percy Street shelter being hit and claims there were one hundred killed. Source I reports the same incident and comes up with a smaller, different figure of 30 dead. Even though this source is a government report, it cannot be sure exactly. A further source, McGimpsey, says about sixty died. Here we have three contradicting statistics. Such contradictions in statistics make it incredibly difficult to reconstruct events. There is a clear difference between those sources controlled by the government and those which are not, it is difficult to decide which can be used with the greatest degree of reliability.
Source F shows that in September 1939 Belfast had only 16 anti-aircraft fighting guns. McGimpsey in 'Bombs on Belfast' stated that 'the defences of the city, without search lights and with few anti-aircraft guns, offered little resistance.' However, in source A, the official statement says that 'a heavy barrage of anti-aircraft fire was maintained by the ground defences.' Therefore, such obvious contradictions induce difficulty in creating an accurate reconstruction.
An additional problem of the time was the government's censorship of the media for its own purposes. This can be seen in sources B and L where the impact of the raid is clearly concealed. Source B says a 'small number of people were killed;' but source G puts the figure at 500. Thereunto, Brian Barton says 745 dead and McGimpsey states it to be as high as 900 dead.
To conclude, it is extremely difficult to interpret and understand events from the past without having a wide range of sources available. It is possible to construct a fairly accurate picture by cross-referencing sources and by using a mixture of primary and secondary sources, always being aware of the possible strengths and weaknesses within each source. However, it is difficult to produce a full and accurate reconstruction when all the facts are not known. Added to this, there is the problem of reliability, bias, censorship, exaggeration, memory loss, and hindsight. We can see then why historians must be aware of these factors in examining sources and use the appropriate techniques to produce the best reconstruction possible and uncover the mysteries and secrets of our past.
THE BELFAST BLITZ COURSEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
By Adrian Scott
