Mid Antrim stories of the Blitz to be brought to life at Ballymena event marking 85th anniversary of German air raids

A powerful programme of remembrance in Ballymena will shine a local light on one of Northern Ireland’s darkest wartime chapters, as the 85th anniversary of the German air raids of 1941 is marked with a deeply personal focus on Mid Antrim lives lost.

The commemorative event, titled German Air Raids: A Mid Antrim Perspective, will take place at Ballymena Services Club on Wednesday 6th May 2026 at 7:30pm, forming part of a wider series organised by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to highlight the area’s connection to the devastating attacks on Belfast and beyond in April and May 1941.

Organised by the council’s Civic Events Co-ordinator David Hume, the programme brings together historical research, personal storytelling, and music to create a vivid, human account of how the Blitz reached into communities across Mid Antrim, with consequences that still resonate generations later.

Local lives lost: the human cost behind the figures

At the heart of the Ballymena event is the stark reality that at least 20 people born in the Mid Antrim area died during the German air raids, a figure that rises to 33 when spouses and children are included.

These are not distant statistics but deeply rooted local stories spanning towns and villages from Clough to Connor, and from Portglenone to Ballymena itself.

Among those remembered are an RUC constable who lay in an unmarked grave for seventy years, a soldier from Connor who has no known grave, a family of four buried in Kells, and an RAF serviceman who died in Belfast while visiting his Ballymena-born mother — who also lost her life in the same raids.

These individual stories form part of a broader effort to ensure that the personal sacrifices of Mid Antrim families are not lost within the wider narrative of the Belfast Blitz.

Historical research bringing forgotten stories into focus

The event will feature a detailed talk by Nigel Henderson of History Hub Ulster, who has been central to researching and presenting the biographies of those connected to East Antrim who died during the air raids.

Henderson has already delivered similar talks at Larne Museum and Carrickfergus Town Hall, where he explored the lives behind the names, tracing connections across the borough and uncovering stories that had, in some cases, remained largely unknown.

In Ballymena, his presentation will focus specifically on men and women from the former Ballymena Urban and Rural Districts, offering both a factual overview of the air raids and a deeper exploration of the individuals affected.

The talk will begin with a concise overview of the air raids themselves, including key fatality statistics, before moving into detailed biographical accounts that bring the Mid Antrim perspective sharply into view.

Storytelling and music to recreate the atmosphere of the Blitz

Alongside the historical presentation, the event will also draw on the power of storytelling and music to transport audiences back to wartime Northern Ireland.

Sharon Dickson, well known on the storytelling circuit, will present a narrative centred on the experience of an everyday Belfast woman during the Blitz, offering an intimate, ground-level view of life under bombardment.

Her performance will be accompanied by Geoff Hatt, who will provide songs from the era, helping to recreate the emotional and cultural backdrop of the 1940s.

Together, the combination of research, storytelling and live music is designed to create a layered and immersive experience, connecting audiences not only to historical facts but to the lived realities of those who endured the air raids.

A borough-wide effort to mark a defining moment in history

The Ballymena event forms part of a wider programme across Mid and East Antrim Borough Council aimed at marking the 85th anniversary of the German air raids and reinforcing the borough’s connections to those events.

By bringing together locations including Larne, Carrickfergus and now Ballymena, the initiative reflects the shared impact of the Blitz across communities throughout the area.

Through these commemorations, organisers aim to ensure that the stories of those who died — and the families and communities affected — are remembered with the depth, dignity and local relevance they deserve.

---

At a glance

• Event: German Air Raids: A Mid Antrim Perspective

• Location: Ballymena Services Club

• Date and time: Wednesday 6th May 2026, 7:30pm

• Organised by: Mid and East Antrim Borough Council

• Co-ordinator: David Hume

• Speaker: Nigel Henderson (History Hub Ulster)

• Additional contributors: Sharon Dickson (storytelling), Geoff Hatt (music)

• 20 people from Mid Antrim died in the air raids; rising to 33 including family members

• Stories include unmarked graves, missing soldiers, and entire families lost

• Part of a wider borough programme marking the 85th anniversary of the 1941 raids