Guest Blog
Birmingham to Belfast
The story of Bombay Street and the TV Set.
1960s
In July 1969, rioting was widespread, but in August it became worse, especially in Derry/Londonderry.
The Battle of the Bogside
The traditional Apprentice Boys march on 12 August sparked clashes, which then turned into a long-running riot between the Nationalists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary living in the Bogside. The riots lasted for several days and became known as "The Battle of the Bogside''.
British Deployment
With the police stretched to the limit, Northern Ireland Prime Minister James Chichester-Clark asked the British government to send in the army. The first British soldiers were deployed in Derry on 13 August. That same day, violence in Belfast intensified and for the first time involved gunfire.
In July and August, 10 people were killed, 154 shot and wounded, and 300 treated for the effects of CS gas. Many houses were destroyed, including almost all of Bombay Street in west Belfast. In Belfast alone, 1,820 families fled their homes.
Bombay Street
The television set that can be seen in the photograph being carried by a member of the Hemsworth family, during the aftermath of the burning of Bombay Street in 1969.
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Of 63 houses in the street, 38 had to be demolished, five required major repairs and 10 minor repairs. The Hemsworth family left with what few items they managed to save and took refuge in St Paul’s parish hall. Bombay Street was rebuilt the following year, aided by local donations and with the free labour of local volunteers including Mr Hemsworth, who was a plumber by trade. The family returned to live there in 1970 but, despite the construction of a peace wall, attacks in the area continued and they left Bombay Street in 1973.
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