Situated in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter beside St Anne’s Cathedral, the War Memorial is an Accredited Museum which is a ‘must see’ for anybody with an interest in Northern Ireland’s role in the two world wars. The museum tells the story of the Belfast Blitz in 1941, the Ulster Home Guard, the role played by women in the war and the presence of US forces from 1942 to 1944.
Uniforms and exhibits relating to the Home Guard, Civil Defence and the Women’s Voluntary Service are on display.
Robert Taylor Carson’s 1946 perceptive portrait in oils of Leading Seaman James Magennis, the only Ulsterman to receive the Victoria Cross in WW2, is a main feature.
A magnificent stained glass memorial window, a beautiful black marble wall, large copper friezes and a plinth hewn from Mourne granite dominate the space.
The centre-piece is a large bronze by John Sherlock of a mother and daughter escaping from the blitz.
A memorial screen recalls the names of over 1,000 people who lost their lives in the Belfast blitz.
