The Belfast Telegraph has published a series of three magazines marking the 60th anniversary of the Belfast Blitz.

Bombs over Belfast tells the story of Ulster’s darkest hour, an experience that remains deeply etched in the memories of those who lived through it.

The Telegraph welcomes the supplements as: “Perhaps the last chance we will have to report first-hand to the children of the 21st century the horrors of the blitz and the depth of human courage and endurance.”

The magazines mark a monumental time in the province’s history and were compiled from reader contributions of thoughts, memories and experiences of the blitz, with the support of the Belfast Telegraph archives.

The series also offers the Telegraph an opportunity to take pride in its own role in the conflict.

In August of the year before the attack, the newspaper office founded an appeal fund to raise money to finance 17 new aircraft for the RAF.

Despite it being a time of great financial hardship for many people in the city through this unique fund, the people of Belfast donated almost £90,000 to the war effort.

All the planes financed by the Telegraph’s fund saw service during the war but none survive today.

In 1941 the Telegraph’s own offices in Royal Avenue were bombed, and the damage from which is still visible today. On the fateful day journalists ended up using the photographic darkroom to work in, and could make use of only one phone, but first editions of the paper were sold on the streets of the bomb scarred city on-time.

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