Brian Barton’s Belfast in the War Years first appeared over 30 years. It is a conventional history that follows a chronological unfolding of events. It opens with a political, socio and economic history of Belfast from the creation of Northern Ireland in 1922 after the Partition of Ireland. It details the four aerial raids that occurred between 7th April and 6th May 1941 that killed over 900 people, injured 1,500 and damaged about half of the city’s homes. Thousands were made homeless and around 140,000 residents fled to the country (a third of the city’s population).[1] It then considers the legacy of the raids and how they shaped Belfast after the 1941.
There are some minor problems with the book. Barton does not use references in his chapters which is a pity as this reduces the academic rigour of the book. Also, few modern updates of the book have engaged with the growing historiography of the Blitz, such as Angus Calder’s book on the myths of the Blitz.[2] Another area to consider it the cultural legacy of the Belfast Blitz and how it has shaped literature and the arts (e.g. Brian Moore, Emperor of Ice Cream). A final area for consideration is citing the Belfast Blitz within the experience of other cities around the United Kingdom, for example Britsol or Exeter. This could have been interesting especially in assessing, for instance, the morale of the city, how well the civil defence arrangements performed.
However, these issues are minor. Barton’s history has aged very well. He does a very good job of citing the city of Belfast in 1941 within the socio, political and economic milieu the time and how this shaped events as they unfolded during the Blitz; for example, the amazing levels of public and political complacency and how this led to the government only providing air raid shelters for one quarter of the people and people not using shelters in the event of an attack; both factors contributed to the huge death toll in the city when the bombers struck.[3] Barton also makes a huge contribution in that he interviewed many witnesses who lived through the experience as this book appeared when many were in their 60s and 70s. Overall, this book remains the standard history of the Belfast Blitz.
[1] Brian Barton, Belfast in the War Years, Belfast in the War Years (Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1989), p.233.
[2] Angus Calder, ‘The Myth of the Blitz’, (Pimlico, London, 1991).
[3] Barton, pp.29-56.