Throughout the history of Manchester the city has been the target of bombers.


During World War II, the Luftwaffe had targeted Manchester with an onslaught of air raids. This was due to the fact factories in Manchester where at the forefront of providing ammunition and machinery to the war.


Here is an example of some of the factories involved and their contribution to the war effort.


The casting and machining expertise at Beyer, Peacock and Company's locomotive works in Gorton was switched to bomb making.


Dunlop's rubber works in Chorlton-on-Medlock was issued to make barrage balloons.


In Trafford Park, engineers Metropolitan-Vickers manufactured Avro Lancaster bombers and Ford built the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines to power them.


Between the 22nd and 24th December 1940 an estimated 467 tons of explosives including well over 37,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on Manchester.


The barrage of bombing destroyed one hundred and sixty-five warehouses, two hundred businesses premises and one hundred and fifty offices.


Manchester Cathedral and other historical parts of the city, including houses were severely damaged with the death toll nearly reaching four hundred.


Manchester also faced attacks from Irish Republicans spanning from 1867 to 1996. The Manchester Martyrs detonated a bomb in 1867, arson in the 1920's and a series of explosions in 1939.


On the 15th June 1996 the largest bomb to be detonated on mainland England was planted next to a department store in the City Centre of Manchester. The bomb was planted by the IRA and injured over two hundred people.


Buildings and windows up to ½ a mile away were greatly damaged by the explosion and a rough estimate of the cost of the damage caused was £50 million.


However after revision the total cost was £400 million with many businesses never recovering from the affects of the bomb.


Biography



Author: Haley Softie


Haley is a former Manchester model who has experience working for a Manchester model agency as a Manchester escort.