April 1941 brought the devastation and reality of war to Ulster as the Luftwaffe launched attacks on Belfast, Derry~Londonderry, Bangor, and Newtownards.
1st April 1943
British Army cobblers, infantry soldiers, and Royal Artillery gunners were the focus of War Office photographers in Northern Ireland on 1st April 1941 and 1942.
2nd April 1944
On 2nd April 1944, Lieutenant General George S. Patton took a long stroll in the Ulster countryside, his hopes of returning to England dashed by poor weather.
3rd April 1943
On 3rd April 1944, Lieutenant General George S. Patton and Colonel Marz inspected elements of 654th Tank Destroyer Battalion at Derrygally House, Co. Tyrone.
4th April 1943
On 4th April, we remember Fusilier Charles William Wright of Belfast and Gunner Kenneth Douglas Jones of Sion Mills, Co. Tyrone who died on this day in 1943.
5th April 1941
Remembering Private Paddy Brown who served in 2/23 Battalion, Australian Infantry, and the Ulstermen serving on H.M.S. Dorsetshire off the coast of Ceylon.
6th April 1943
On 6th April 1941, members of the military and the general public watched in awe as British Army motorcyclists tackled a challenging track in Conlig, Co. Down.
7th April 1941
On 7th April 1941, the Luftwaffe attacked Belfast for the first time. Two years later, Ulstermen with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers saw action in Burma.
8th April 1941
On 8th April 1941, Belfast awoke to the destruction caused by a small raid of Luftwaffe bombers in what became known as the Docks Raid of the Belfast Blitz.
10th April 1942
On 10th April 1941, Lieutenant J.R. Bainbridge photographed military police, members of R.A.S.C., and elements of 5th Infantry Division across Northern Ireland.
11th April 1943
Sergeant Valentine Robertson Wilson of Portadown, Co. Armagh died on 11th April 1943 serving as a navigator on a Bomber Command raid over Frankfurt, Germany.
13th April 1945
Lance Corporal Samuel Alexander Hazlett of Portadown, Co. Armagh died on 13th April 1945. He served in the Canadian Infantry Corps during the Second World War.
16th April 1940
On the night of 15th-16th April 1941, the Luftwaffe launched a deadly raid on Northern Ireland in what became known as the Easter Raid of the Belfast Blitz.
17th April 1941
On 17th April 1941, Auxiliary Fire Service crews continued battling fires in the city centre of Belfast following the Luftwaffe attacks during the Easter Raid.
18th April 1941
On 18th April 1941, 1/5th Battalion, The Welsh Regiment took part in a training exercise over open moorland using Universal Carriers near Newry, Co. Down.
19th April 1941
On 19th April 1941, life had begun to return to 'normal' on the streets of North Belfast following devastating Luftwaffe air raids that took place at Easter.
20th April 1945
Able Seaman Normal Cole of Portadown, Co. Armagh died on 20th April 1945 as a result of illness having served on H.M.S. Renown during the Second World War.
21st April 1941
On 21st April 1941, His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester arrived at R.A.F. Aldergrove, Co. Antrim before commencing a short visit to Northern Ireland.
22nd April 1941
On 22nd April 1941, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester continued his visit to Northern Ireland, inspecting battalions based in and around the Mournes.
23rd April 1946
On 23rd April 1946, United States military personnel photographed the Lisnabreeny American Military Cemetery on Rocky Road in Belfast's Castlereagh Hills.
24th April 1941
On 24th April 1941, His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester continued his Ulster visit inspecting troops in Co. Armagh, Co. Tyrone, and the H.Q. of B.T.N.I.
30th April 1943
On 30th April 1943, a Belfast Telegraph photographer captured a remarkable scene of R.A.F. bombers in a blitzed area of High Street in Belfast City Centre.
