Balmoral Golf Club, Lisburn Road, Belfast, Co. Antrim

Balmoral Golf Club in Belfast was the site of a prisoner of war camp and a nearby anti-aircraft gun caused one of the first fatalities of the Belfast Blitz.

Balmoral Golf Club

518 Lisburn Road

Belfast

Co. Antrim

BT9 6GX

United Kingdom

Balmoral Golf Club in South Belfast, Co. Antrim saw varied use during World War Two. The site housed a prisoner of war camp, a gun battery, and an air raid shelter.

A large area to the right of the 3rd Fairway was a prisoner of war camp. This ground is now part of Taughmonagh Estate.

On the 13th Fairway, stood an air raid shelter for use by servicemen operating the nearby anti-aircraft gun battery. During The Docks Raid of the Belfast Blitz on 7th-8th April 1941, a gunner died here as a shell misfired.

Despite the ongoing war, life went on at the club. Celebrities including boxing heavyweight Joe Louis and fighter pilot Douglas Bader enjoyed a round of golf. Locals continued to obtain golf balls by trading cigarettes with the prisoners of war.