On 16th April 1941, Belfast faced the aftermath of the Easter Raid of the Belfast Blitz. The devastating aerial attack left hundreds dead across the city.
Belfast bore the brunt of the indiscriminate enemy air attacks carried out against Northern Ireland during the night. Shortly after the alert had been sounded, high explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped at random over the city. A considerable number fell in residential and shopping areas, causing numerous casualties, many of which, it is feared, are fatal.
Other bombs caused damage to industrial and commercial premises. Whilst the enemy were being met by a spirited defence from the A.A. guns, the various A.R.P., A.F.S., and other Civil Defence units were carrying out their duties with courage and devotion under conditions of difficulty and danger. In other areas in Northern Ireland, the intensity of the attack was not so severe, and the casualties were on a correspondingly smaller scale.
On 16th April 1941, Lieutenant J.R. Bainbridge took a series of photos in his role as War Office Photographer. These showed the heavy damage caused in the Antrim Road area of the city by Luftwaffe bombers during the night. He also observed volunteers queued up to enlist.
