Historical Society Talk
The Story of the Donegal Spitfire
Wednesday 29 April 2026, 7.30pm
Carrickfergus Town Hall
Join avian historian Jonny McNee for a fascinating talk describing the discovery and excavation in 2011 of a Spitfire.
https://t.co/Faxr2nVJGV
@MilHistNow Became a bit of a celebrity, with photos, newspaper articles and radio interviews. Wanted to try out for a new American Commando unit (US Rangers) in June '42, but his request was blocked due to his 'celebrity' status.
#OnThisDay 1942 marked the first 'official' arrival of US troops in Belfast. PFC Milburn Henke from Hutchinson, Minnesota, was the first soldier to step off. A member of the 34th Red Bull Division, he was later redeployed to North Africa during Operation Torch.
Join us on Friday 6 February 2026 to uncover the story of the Belfast Blitz of 1941 with a FREE guided walking tour of the Cathedral Quarter.
Learn how Belfast's architecture was impacted by the air raids by comparing contemporary images of the city to the streets we walk today.
A school in Southampton is raising money to erect a memorial to commemorate RAF pilots who protected the city during the Second World War, including the only Fighter Command pilot to be awarded a VC.
Every little helps. Link to their funding page:
https://t.co/9i8VhhDsXU
New footage have been found and published by the Dutch NIMH. It 21 minutes of the allied invasion fleet leaving the UK to Normandy and operating in front of the Normandy coast on D-Day! Pretty sure loads of people on my Twitter are interested in this.
https://t.co/RHtvTi9wNy
📖 Book Launch: The Houdini Club 📖
The Epic Journey and Daring Escapes of the First Army Rangers of WWII
By Mir Bahmanyar
📌 US Rangers Museum, Carrickfergus
📆 Saturday 16 August 2025
🕔 2pm
🔗 FREE but booking required: https://t.co/OdQXZx8ODE
#MEAHeritage
I've joined up with a group of like-minded Tour Guides to offer Guided Walking Tours of Carrickfergus. We are currently using Eventbrite to show availability and for online booking. 10% off meals at Dobbins Inn for Tour guests!
https://t.co/REVLxEji3u
On the night of 15/16 April 1941 the Luftwaffe returned to Belfast. The air raid sirens sounded at 10:40pm and for the next six hours over 200 bombers dropped high explosives and incendiary bombs across the city.
#NIWM#niwarmemorial#SecondWorldWar#BelfastBlitz
The raid lulled Belfast into a false sense of security. The relative accuracy of the attack led people to believe future raids would miss the areas of densely packed housing. There were reports of people coming to their doorsteps to watch the bombing as if at a football match.
By the time the all-clear was sounded at 3:58am, 15 people had been killed and over 80 injured.
The Dockside raid highlighted just how unprepared Belfast was for the realities of strategic bombing, as the lighthouses on Belfast Lough operated as in peacetime.
OTD 1941, Belfast woke up to the effects of the first German air raid on the city. The first bombs were dropped on Belfast shortly after midnight.
The raid became known as the ' Dockside Raid ', with much of the damage concentrated in the harbour area.
#BelfastBlitz
Happy St. Patrick's Day and Happy Birthday to the largest piece in the IWM collection, HMS Belfast!
Belfast was launched on 17 March 1938, spending 25 years in active service before being brought to the Pool of London for a peaceful retirement.
Image: IWM (FL 1446) <1/2>
A new exhibition on Irish neutrality and “The Emergency” in the museum. Recent acquisitions on display include an Irish Army M27 ‘Vickers’ helmet & its wartime replacement, the British Mark II helmet, along with a map case for the German invasion of Ireland, ‘Unternehmen Grün’