Local history expert and North Belfast News columnist Joe Baker held a hugely successful three-day exhibition about war-torn Belfast in the 1940s in the Freemason's city centre headquarters last week.

Formally opened by Freemason and former District Grand King of Antrim 102-year old, Cyril Quigley the exhibition offered history enthusiasts the chance to discover more about what life was like at the height of World War 2. On display were hundreds of photographs ranging from wedding snaps through to the total destruction caused during the Luftwaffe Blitz in which over 200 German bombers targeted Belfast. 

Also on display were full page newspaper reports on the Belfast Blitz as well as war time propaganda posters both British and German. 

"This was a horrific time for many and this exhibition shows the horror of the bombings in Belfast" Joe said.

"We did a lot of research to get the show ready and a big part of our efforts went towards wiping out myths people have about the Blitz in 1941 such as the Germans bombed the Waterworks by mistake because they thought it was the docks. 

"The Germans didn't get it wrong, they did it to destroy the water supply so that when they returned with firebombs there would be no water to put the fires out."

The Glenravel Local History Project have become extremely well-known for their in-depth research and work in promoting Belfast’s local and factual history.

This latest exhibition took nearly a year to research and features posters from the Imperial War Museum in London and posters from Berlin.

It is the second display in a sequence of three shows, chronicling life in Belfast in the 30s, 40s and 50s. 

Joe is now researching material for life in 1950s Belfast and has issued an appeal for any old photographs of life at the time. 

Joe and the Glenravel Local History Project will also be running two Horrible History tours tours on Wednesday 3rd December and Thursday 11th December. The tour begins at 6.30pm at Clifton Street Graveyard, Henry Place and finishes inside the abandoned Belfast prison on the Crumlin Road at 9pm. It is not for the faint hearted and is definitely not suitable for children.

At the previous tour on 31st October, Joe says ‘paranormal behaviour’ was caught on camera and other events remain unexplained. Watch the video presentation and see for yourself at http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=qViTfB-Qc4w

The cost per person is £10 payable when booking.  

To book your place call 9074 2255 and ask for Joe Baker.