rosaleen - Belfast Blitz search

Discussion in 'User Introductions' started by Rosaleen kelly, Apr 19, 2011.

  1. Rosaleen kelly

    Rosaleen kelly Junior Member

    Hi i am just looking some information about my parents.. It was my mothers 21st birthday easter tuesday 1941. I was just wondering does anyone remember the trainors or oconnors who lived in ponsenby avenue antrim road the night of the blitz

    Thanks

    Rosaleen
     
  2. Warlord

    Warlord Veteran wannabe

    Welcome aboard, Rosaleen. I'm sure some of the chaps around here will be able to help you.
     
  3. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Hi Rosaleen and welcome to the forum.

    I take it that you are giving an address in North Belfast?

    Fingers crossed that you get some response eventually.
     
  4. Recce_Mitch

    Recce_Mitch Very Senior Member

    Welcome to the forum


    Cheers
    Paul
     
  5. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Hello Rosaleen,

    Welcome to the forum and good luck with your research

    Regards
    Peter
     
  6. Nicola_G

    Nicola_G Senior Member

    Hi Rosaleen

    Have you tried contacting the local newspaper to see if they will run an article for you. It might help. Or perhaps the local council might have records.

    Nicola
     
  7. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce Patron

    Hello and welcome to the forum
    Lesley
     
  8. KevinBattle

    KevinBattle Senior Member

    Hi and welcome, Rosaleen.
    Thanks to Geoffs Search Engine, there were 21 deaths of civilians during that Blitz, plus 3 more on 5th May (Det Sgt Wilson and family) but no Trainors or O'Connors and none from Ponsonby Avenue.
    Maybe some of these Names will ring a bell though??

    001 BENTON W - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    002 BILL T - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    003 BRADLEY S - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    004 BRADLEY E - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    005 BRADLEY M - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    006 BROWN MJ - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    007 BROWN G - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    008 BROWN G - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    009 DORMAN M - - 15/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    010 DORMAN A - - 15/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    011 DUFFY SMC - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    012 DUFFY J - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    013 DUFFY J - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    014 DUFFY K - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    015 FAUX CY - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    016 IRVINE G - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    017 MCCLOSKEY GP - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    018 ORR R - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    019 PHILLIPS EW - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    020 REDMAN MEF - - 16/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD
    021 TURPIN JH - - 20/04/1941 CIVILIAN WAR DEAD

    Unfortunately, a night to remember for her, for the wrong reasons. Still, I hope she more than made up for it.

    EDIT: These are just the ones with an address on Antrim Road, there may well be more elsewhere that I haven't picked up....
    I don't want to give the impression that only 21 died....
     
  9. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Hi and welcome, Rosaleen.
    Thanks to Geoffs Search Engine, there were 21 deaths of civilians during that Blitz,

    Kevin

    Fraid getting a list via G's SE would be a difficult and lengthy process - The search engine can't search for Belfast casualties because the criteria often does not include Belfast in the address. Also the date should start with the 15th.

    Belfast Blitz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Over 900 lives were lost, 1,500 people were injured, 400 of them seriously. Fifty-thousand houses, more than half the houses in the city, were damaged. Eleven churches, two hospitals and two schools were destroyed. These figures are based on newspaper reports of the time, personal recollections and other primary sources ...

    ... The mortuary services had emergency plans to deal with only 200 bodies. In the event, the public baths on the Falls Road and on Peter's Hill, and the large fruit market, Saint George's market, were used as mortuaries. One hundred and fifty corpses remained in the Falls Road baths for three days before they were buried in a mass grave, with 123 still unidentified. Two hundred and fifty-five corpses were laid out in St George's Market. Many bodies and body parts could not be identified. Mass graves for the unclaimed bodies were dug in the Milltown and City Cemeteries.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/172506-post16.html

    Not all casualties were from and/or buried in the main Belfast cemeteries either - My husband's grand aunt was the same age as Rosaleen's mother.
    :poppy:
    Volunteer BETTY BURLEIGH W/39496, Auxiliary Territorial Service who died age 21 between 15 April 1941 and 16 April 1941
    Daughter of William and Mary Burleigh, of Florencecourt.
    Remembered with honour KILLESHER CHURCH OF IRELAND CHURCHYARD
    CWGC :: Casualty Details
     
  10. ww2ni

    ww2ni Senior Member

    Welcome to te forum and I hope you find it useful.
     
  11. KevinBattle

    KevinBattle Senior Member

    Sorry to disagree, Diane, but if you look up any of those in my List, you will see that there is a Reporting Authority: "Belfast, County Borough, N Ireland".
    (It doesn't need to have specific cemeteries, if they occurred in Belfast, that's recorded). Clicking on that leads you to the information of 868 Civilian War Dead.
    Clicking on the "Cemetery Reports" tab then gives all the Names in alphabetical order.
    Admittedly, it doesn't then sort by Date, but it's an indication...

    You can then go back to GSE and search by Date for Civilian War Dead and cross refer to the Belfast Cemetery Reports..

    As I said, that first search was using "Antrim Road", no deaths with that address were recorded for the 14th, but it did have 15th as well as 16th casualties...

    So, yes it CAN search for Belfast casualties...
     
  12. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    I'll consider myself well and truly slapped down then about the dates; the point remains unfortunately that you did give me the impression with your first sentence that 21 people died in the raid.

    I do now see your edited comment.
     

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