I wonder how many of you remember the Blitz itself on Belfast the Easter Weekend of 1941. I remember standing outside our house on the Longstone way after midnight untill I got chased in by my Grandparents watching the searchlights that were located on the Moira Road pearcing the sky. I think there was only one bomb dropped on Lisburn and that was on a field on the Ballinderry road which didn't explode and was later removed by a bomb disposal squad.

I can still hear the Air Raid Wardens yelling put those lights out as people unthinking opened their front doors with their hall lights on which was a big NO NO in those days. Mauri

Hi Mauri, I remember standing at the back door with my parents watching the flares dropping from the bombers on Belfast I remember them calling them "Red Onions" as it intensified we moved over the field to the sand hole were other family's had gathered and the men in the crowd went on patrol round the field looking for German paratroopers who may have landed, that was the excuse anyway probably they had a few bottles of stout between them, we stayed to the all clear and then made our way home , my father still made his way to work the next morning in Belfast and came home that evening with sad tales of what he had viewed, Regards Ted

I remember my family talking about look-out posts on the roofs of Hilden mill, they were manned by employees who were glad to earn a few extra shillings. When my mother died in August 1849 and we cleared the house at Lisnatrunk to go live with our Granmother in Hilden Mill Street a childrens gas protection device and gas masks were thrown out. The childrens, which was for me, born 1944 was a cradle with a zip for opening and closing it to place the child inside and those outside pressed a pump which drove air into it. My father told me that it was a terrible fear of my mother that those outside if they died from gas or explosions that I would have died from lack of air if no one pressed the pump.
I seem to remember hearing that kids gas masks were issued for older kids with had a Mickey Mouse face to encourage them to wear them.
Later in the early 50s mhen the ration coupons were still in use I had to go to the shop for sugar or tobacco with them. I heard that Germany despite loosing disposed of coupons earlier.
Smuggling tobacco, butter and sugar across from Omeath to Warrenpoint on the boats was a regular thing then with the Customs Officers waiting on the shore to search those arriving.
donald