Firefighter Archibald "Archie" McDonald of 80 Percy Street, Belfast died on 8th April 1941 when a Luftwaffe Parachute Mine exploded in the Milewater Road area.
Auxiliary Fire Service Volunteer
Auxiliary Firefighter Archibald McDonald was a fatal casualty of the Belfast Blitz during the Second World War. He lived at 80 Percy Street, Belfast at the time of the Luftwaffe attack on the city.
Archibald McDonald died on 8th April 1941 aged 22 years old at Belfast Docks. McDonald’s crew was among those dispatched from Chichester Street Fire Station to deal with rapidly spreading fires in the Milewater Road and Duncrue Street area. They arrived just before High Explosive Bombs and Parachute Mines began to fall in the area.
Believing a Parachute Mine to be a Luftwaffe crew member bailing out, McDonald was one of those who ran towards the descending parachute. The blast resulted in the deaths of McDonald and his colleague Brice Harkness of Cookstown, Co. Tyrone. A First Aid Party based at a nearby school recovered the bodies later that morning.
Archibald McDonald’s grave is in Section C4, Grave 727 of Dundonald Cemetery, Dundonald, Co. Down. A funeral service took place on 10th April 1941.
