February 22, 1917

EXCITING scenes were witnessed in the neighbourhood of the Falls Road in Belfast about three o’clock yesterday.

It appears that a bull escaped from a downtown yard and, rushing along Durham Street, Albert Street, etc, created the greatest alarm among the inhabitants while many people were lucky not to receive serious injuries.

The animal knocked down several children and in Milford Street tossed over a woman with his horns.

The latter, who resided in Nail Street, was conveyed in the ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital, but fortunately her injuries were slight.

The children had miraculous escapes, none of them apparently having been much hurt.

In Albert Street a woman and child just managed to get inside the door of Mr John O’Hare’s flesher’s establishment in the nick of time.

The bull struck the door with his horns.

As the animal emerged from Leeson Street onto the Falls Road a policeman only escaped by dodging round a tramway standard and the bull passed up Dunlewey Street.

January 17 1917: Hippopotamus joins in World War One battle

At the Milford Mill entrance a number of constables managed to secure the dangerous visitor with ropes, and he was taken ‘under safe escort’ with his head enveloped in a bag to the Springfield Road barracks and placed in the yard from which he made several attempts to regain his liberty.

Subsequently the beast was taken on a lorry to the Pound.