The Clydebank Blitz - On this day in Scottish Military History - 1941

To cover the whole horror of the two night blitz on Clydebank by the Luftwaffe over the nights of 13th and 14th March 1941 would be impossible in a blog post.

Instead I'll quickly summarise the terrible facts of that night exactly seventy years ago:

• Out of a population of 47,000 people 35,000 people were made homeless

• One third of the buildings in Clydebank were destroyed

• Only eight houses in the town were left unscathed

• 528 people were killed and 617 were wounded

• 22 bodies were unclaimed or unidentified

• 1,000 bombers attacked Clydebank

• Only 2 bombers shot down

It's a night which still haunts those living in the town today. The scale of the attack on the factories and shipyards meant many of the nearby houses were hit instead.

The town couldn't cope with the huge number of bodies and those who died on those two nights were buried in a communal grave.

At first a simple large headstone marked their grave but after many years research the names were added on bronze panels in March 2009.

Over the next day or so there is bound to be a fair amount of media coverage. We'll be sure to update this post with links to any articles.

BBC Scotland are also showing a documentary on the Blitz. This is only being shown in Scotland but it should be possible for those outside Scotland to view on the BBC iplayer.

There are also a number of web resources where you can learn more. Tom McKendrick has a site with some recollections and a list of casualties, and the Clydebank Restoration Trust has some material on their page.

You can also read our review of the recent book "River of Fire", as well as enter the competition to win a copy of the book.

River of Fire: The Clydebank Blitz - Review and Competition

The "Clydebank Blitz" of March 1941 was a series of raids which devastated the town of Clydebank - a devastation which was never properly recognised at the time and is perhaps not as well remembered today as it perhaps deserves.

A new book, "River of Fire" by John MacLeod attempts to redress that balance. MacLeod sets the scene well, describing the rise of the town, and its place in the social and economic history of Scotland, but it is in the description of the events of those two nights where this book excels.

No punches are spared in the description of the air raids - the events are chronicled with such vivd detail at times you feel part of the action. The horror of the blitz comes right out of the page at you in the first-hand descriptions of many of the survivors.

Rounding this book off is an extensive list of those who lost their lives over the nights of 13-14 March. This book is worth purchasing for that alone - as it is that is the icing on the cake that is a fantastic read.

Incredibly well-researched, this book deserves its place as the book on the Clydebank Blitz. I heartily recommend it.

John MacLeod, the author, may be familiar to some as the author of When I Heard The Bell - The Loss of the Iolaire. That book is now near the top of my reading list...

River of Fire is now available in bookshop or from the publishers website.

We have a copy of River of Fire to give away, courtesy of Birlinn Limited. To be in with a chance of winning, simply email us as scottishwarmemorials@hotmail.co.uk with the answer to the following question:

The mass grave and memorial to the fallen of the Clydebank Blitz can be found in which cemetery?

Closing date for entires is Monday 28th March, when one correct answer will be chosen at random. One entry per person, the judges decision is final.