Black Out

Resources

Most Luftwaffe (German Air Force) air raids on cities took place at night.

During daytime attacks, the German planes were at risk from gunfire from barrage guns on the ground. They attacked mainly at night so that the troops on the ground would not be able to see them or target them.

To stop the German pilots using the lights of the cities and towns as a target for their night time bombing raids, buildings were 'blacked out'. Street lights were turned off at night and windows covered with dark curtains or black out blinds.

In order for people to be able to find their way around a city or town at night, nearly everything on each street was painted white. Trees, kerbs, railings, walls, telegraph poles and bollards were all whitewashed so that they could be seen by people walking around the streets when it was dark.

People were allowed to carry special black out lanterns to light their way but these gave out very poor light.

The railways and motor vehicles, military and civilian, were expected to follow black out rules as well. Car headlamps were blinkered to give out a small amount of light. It made travelling at night very difficult and often hazardous.

Newspapers printed timetables to inform the public of times when black-out conditions would take effect.

Any person who did not follow the black-out instructions could face prosecution. As people believed that an attack by German planes was unlikely, it was common to get in trouble for not following the black out instructions properly.

By the beginning of 1941, no German air raids had taken place anywhere in Northern Ireland. People began to wonder whether all these precautions were really necessary.

Please email your stories to: castle@fermanagh.gov.uk

Print This Page

Sound File

Title:	Transporting milk during the Blackout.

Speaker:	Patrick Kerrin

Sound:	90-26-50.mp3
Description:	During the war years, when the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, when they took over the milk, all the country creameries were closed except Kinawley, Springfield, Derrygonnelly, in this area and Enniskillen. It was the receiving depot, the whole milk was lorried in. Well, that milk was pasteurised and it was sent off in twelve gallon creamery cans to Belfast or Nutts Corner to the airport and it was, there was an air lift of milk to England for the forces, that went to the army and that went on for , for a number of years. That milk, there was, there was contractors paid for haulin' it, y'know, with lorries and all that and there would've been good money in it. But it was a nightmare to drive from Enniskillen to Belfast on a winter's night in the blackout, you wouldn't see, only a few yards in front of them. They would be, well they'd be at least five hours. Ref: 90-26-50. Interviewer: Sandra Matchett, Fermanagh County Museum. © Fermanagh County Museum.