About Us: What is WartimeNI?

Do you want to learn more about Northern Ireland in the Second World War? Do you want to explore wartime Ulster without leaving the comfort of home?

WartimeNI is the digital platform for all things Second World War related in Northern Ireland. In 2012, I first heard of the Former American Military Cemetery at Lisnabreeny on the outskirts of Belfast. A Second World War cemetery? An American cemetery? My interest piqued, I put on my hiking boots, climbed Cregagh Glen, took some photos, and wrote a short blog post about what I found.

That was the start of WartimeNI. As I wrote and photographed more, I discovered there were many more stories about the Second World War in Northern Ireland I did not yet know. And, I discovered there are a lot of other people like you, keen to find out more.

I’ve now been researching Ulster’s role in the Second World War for the last decade. I’ve visited airfields, beach defences, bunkers, shelters, memorials, monuments, and bomb sites. I’ve researched royal visits, the effects of the Belfast Blitz, and the arrival of around 300,000 American GIs. And, I’ve written hundreds of articles to make it easy for you to find out all about them.

WartimeNI aims to tell a complete story of Ulster during the war. There’s much more to it than just military history. We talk about social history, women’s history, black history, queer history… If it’s got a good story, we will cover it.

As well as the articles and profiles on WartimeNI.com, I also host the podcast ‘A Wee Bit Of War’. There, I chat with a range of authors, academics, and others to bring more stories to a wider audience. Enjoy your visit to the website, sign up for our weekly newsletter, subscribe to the podcast, or simply tell your friends, families, and everyone else about WartimeNI.

© 2024 WartimeNI | Design & Development: Scott Edgar | Hosted by: Big Wet Fish