A Wee Bit Of War

A Wee Bit Of War returns for a second series. We've recently returned from We Have Ways Fest, where we met lots of new friends and answered lots of questions about the Second World War in Northern Ireland. After twenty episodes of the podcast, we thought it was now time to answer some of our most frequently asked queries. So, here is an overview of wartime life in Ulster including life during the...

Everyone remembers when the Belfast Giants brought ice hockey to Northern Ireland in the year 2000. But is everyone mistaken? Ice hockey had been played in Ulster since the Second World War. In 1939, Canadian Arnold "Duke" Brockman, manager of the Belfast Ice Rink at the King's Hall established a league. Harlandic Wolves, Short and Harland Raiders, Balmoral Tigers, and Thornton Wasps did battle on...

Their Finest Hour is a project run by the University of Oxford. It seeks to record the history of the Second World War using items and artifacts from the time as well as oral histories. On 17th June 2023, Their Finest Hour in partnership with The Linen Hall will hold a Digital Collection Day in Belfast. We caught up with Dr. Joseph Quinn to talk about the project, his hopes for the Belfast event,...

Glentoran Football Club in East Belfast is a team and a community steeped in history. Throughout the Second World War, players such a goalkeeper Big Tom Pearson went on to serve. Sam Robinson joined us to mark the 80th anniversary of Pearson's death shortly after he received the Military Medal with the Irish Guards in Tunisia. Sam also taked us through the fateful events of 4th-5th May 1941 as Luf...

Throughout the Second World War, many of the big houses of Northern Ireland as well as other properties saw used for training centres, military bases, hospitals, and more... Today, many lie in ruins. Rebecca Brownlie is a photographer and the author of a new book 'Abandoned Ireland'. In this episode, Rebecca will guide us through the stories of some of Ulster's abandoned Second World War heritage,...

By now, more people in Northern Ireland are aware of the Kindertransport and the resettlement farm at Millisle, Co. Down, and the vital role it played before, during, and after the Second World War. In the lead-up to Holocaust Memorial Day 2023, we talked to Dr. Christine Schmidt of the Wiener Holocaust Library about the role played by Northern Ireland at this time, the wealth of material in the A...

Brian Desmond Hurst was an acclaimed film maker born in Befast. Having served in The Great War, he emigrated, studied art, and learnt the art of filmmaking under the wing of John Ford. Throughout the Second World War, Hurst made many documentaries and movies including the beautiful 'A Letter From Ulster' in 1942. Allan Esler Smith, curator of the Brian Desmond Hurst estate joined us to talk about...

Lorna Quin hails from Tandragee, Co. Armagh. She's a retired primary school teacher, and someone drawn to the stories of the Second World War since her childhood. Last year, Lorna released a book of real-life stories gathered from people across Northern Ireland who recall wartime life. Just in time for Christmas 2022, the second volume is ready to go with another 25 tales of life in wartime Ulster...

Dr. James O'Neill has literally put Northern Ireland's Second World War Defence Heritage on the map. The map in question is the Department for Communities' Historic Environment Map, and thanks to Jim's dedication, it features thousands of sites of interest. From The Great War, through to The Troubles, all defence heritage is available on the map but the lion's share of sites date from 1939-1945. J...

This year is the tenth anniversary of my first hearing about the old American cemetery at Lisnabreeny. Therefore, it's an unofficial tenth birthday of sorts for WartimeNI. But, anyone who knows me knows that my passion for all things Second World War goes back much further... to Saturday afternoons in front of black and white movies, to family tales of daring prison breaks and tanks racing through...

Towards the end of the Second World War, German soldiers, seamen, and airmen landed in Northern Ireland. Safely held as prisoners of war in Allied hands, these men - and a few women - spent time in camps across Ulster. Initially, a fraternisation ban kept prisoners well away from locals but some friendships formed. In more recent years, locals spoke fondly of the Germans and their time in Northern...

Life changed dramatically across society in the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland during the Second World War. While homosexuality was illegal for men at the time, the British Army often turned a blind eye to same-sex activity during the recruitment process. In later life, many veterans in the LGBTQ community spoke openly about their sexuality. To mark Pride week in Belfast, we spoke to Mi...

On 19th June 1942, the United States Army activated 1st U.S. Ranger Battalion at Sunnylands Camp in Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim. In this episode, knowledgeable tour guide Adrian Hack joins us to talk about this and many other aspects of wartime Carrickfergus. Expect to hear stories of fearless commando-style training, football or soccer, and feasting on rabbit brains. There's always something happen...

On 1st June 1941, the government of the United Kingdom began rationing clothing. As with many events throughout the Second World War, the reality in Northern Ireland was a little different to that of Great Britain. Historian Rachel Sayers joined us to share her passion for 20th-century Irish dress, to talk about women in uniform, GIs and their nylon stockings, and all things fashionable in wartime...

In 2016, a mural depicting Polish forces focusing on their role during the Second World War appeared in East Belfast. Among those featured in the mural was General Stanisław Franciszek Sosabowski C.B.E. The general led the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden. His great-grandson Professor Hal Sosabowski kindly joined us to tell more of the story. ======...

The diaries of Doreen Bates are a wonderful insight into life during the Belfast Blitz. Author Lucy Caldwell drew on Miss Bates' wonderful writings for her own recently released novel 'These Days'. Dr. Margaret Esiri is the daughter of Doreen Bates, who along with her twin brother first published a section of the diaries in 2016. Here, they talk about Doreen, her diaries, and life during the Belfa...

There have been many stories told of the Belfast Blitz. When the Luftwaffe attacked Northern Ireland in April and May 1941, the women of Belfast were on hand to witness. This episode tells the stories of Civil Servant Doreen Bates, Health Visitor Moya Woodside, and V.A.D. Commandant Emma Duffin. This is their narrative of a turbulent time in wartime Belfast. Part 2/2 of a Women's History Month Spe...

There have been many stories told of the Belfast Blitz. When the Luftwaffe attacked Northern Ireland in April and May 1941, the women of Belfast were on hand to witness. This episode tells the stories of Civil Servant Doreen Bates, Health Visitor Moya Woodside, and V.A.D. Commandant Emma Duffin. This is their narrative of a turbulent time in wartime Belfast. Part 1/2 of a Women's History Month Spe...

Dr. Simon Topping (University of Plymouth) is a historian and author of 'Northern Ireland, the United States, and the Second World War' (Bloomsbury). He has researched and written extensively on segregated units of the U.S. Army, looking in particular at the time spent in Ulster by black GIs during the Second World War. A Black History Month special. ========== To find out more about WartimeNI, su...

Rachel Levy is an inspirational woman. Born in the former Czechoslovakia, she survived the horrors of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Eventually, she and her brother came to Northern Ireland as refugees where they enjoyed a new life on the safe haven of a Resettlement Farm in Millisle, Co. Down. This is her story. ========== To find out more about WartimeNI, subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https:...

Irish-American author and film maker Mary Pat Kelly joins Scott Edgar to talk about the arrival of American GIs in Northern Ireland on the 80th anniversary of the first troop ships arriving in Ulster. Her book and accompanying documentary 'Home Away From Home - The Yanks In Ireland' tells many stories of those young Americans on their way to war. ========== To find out more about WartimeNI, subscr...

Scott Edgar of WartimeNI introduces you to a brand new podcast. 'A Wee Bit Of War' will focus on the history of Northern Ireland during the Second World War. There is much more to the story of the Second World War in Northern Ireland than just military history. This podcast will feature social history, women's history, black history, queer history... If it's got a good story, 'A Wee Bit Of War' wi...