Scotland history videos, the second world war teaching. After the blitz there was a mass exodus, with nearly 18,000 people evacuating clydebank. But, outside scotland, few have ever heard of the clydebank blitz. Clydebank suffered the greatest loss of life in one raid the clydebank blitz. May 24, 2012 the lesson plans are for eleven videos that cover the 20th century and the second world war. The clydebank blitz, comprised two devastating luftwaffe air raids on the shipbuilding and munitionmaking town of clydebank in scotland which took place in march 1941. The town and famous singer sewing factory were badly damaged with many people killed or injured. Glasgow suffered the highest number of fatalities about 650, but in proportion to its population of about 50,000 the burgh of clydebank suffered the worst. The clydebank blitz, comprised two devastating luftwaffe air raids on the shipbuilding and. Vibrating with endeavours for britains effort against the might of nazi germany, clydebank was in hindsight an obvious target for the attentions of the luftwaffe. Bombs over glasgow on the night of the clydebank blitz.
Ww2 peoples war homepage archive list timeline about this site. Over the nights of the th and 14th march 1941 clydebank, glasgow, was repeatedly bombed in a sustained campaign that. A strong novel about the trauma of the clydebank blitz during the second world war told. People were forced to sleep in air raid shelters, and many people took shelter in underground stations. The crane passed its commissioning tests and was accepted by john browns on 24 april 1907. Remembering the clydebank blitz picture britainpicture britain. A pair of nazi books studded with shrapnel from the clydebank blitz. Of the 0 people who died, only 500 were in the intended target area of clydebank. The following list of civilian war dead was compiled by the war graves commission and is to be found in the roll of honour placed in westminster abbey. The clydebank blitz 15 march 1941 national records. When the bombs started falling in the evening of march, many of the bankie families were getting ready for bed, and not everyone was able to seek.
Remembering the clydebank blitz forces war records. Two thirds of clydebank s 60,000strong population were evacuated to safety, in. Site of the john brown shipyard, clydebank now and then. On and 14 march 1941, clydebank was the target of one of the most intense luftwaffe bombing raids of world war ii. Wartime clydebank because of the crucial wartime role of its shipbuilders, clydebank suffered more in the blitz than any other town in scotland and was quite as bad as, if not worse than coventry in the extent of devastation and its lasting effect on the town and community. More than 500 people died and many more were left injured, orphaned or homeless. See more ideas about glasgow scotland, glasgow and scotland. Discover the history of the clydebank blitz with the clyde waterfront heritage guide. The worst of these attacks was the clydebank blitz, which took place on march th and 14 th 1941.
Whilst docks and shipbuilding yards were hit, the main effect on industry was indirectly caused by the heavy damage to the industrial dwelling area of clydebank. The heavy and frequent bombing attacks on london and other cities was known as the blitz. Mcphail was my history teacher at clydebank high school in the early 1950s. As the author says in the book, most wont talk about what happened those two nights in 1941, and that has always been true in our family. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This air raid was the most fiersome on any town or city in britain during ww11. Scotlands centres of heavy industry become a target of german bombing raids. This time they also attacked targets in the glasgow area where there were shipyards and the important aero engine. Mar 09, 2017 bombs over glasgow on the night of the clydebank blitz i recently read a book about scottish war artists. Clydebank blitz memorial at present no image of this war memorial is available for online display. Here are some details about some of the different types. As in london, the clydebank blitz had not broken the peoples spirit. London was bombed ever day and night, bar one, for 11 weeks. So i am grateful to have the opportunity to read such a thoroughly researched and wellwritten history.
Shrapnelstudded nazi books among chilling artifacts found at. The raids followed the failure of the german luftwaffe to defeat britains royal air force in the battle of britain julyseptember 1940. New book lifts lid on why scotland was top of hitlers airraid list. Due to the crucial wartime role of its shipbuilders, clydebank suffered heavy bombing during the second world war. The blitz was a term used to describe the heavy bombing of london and other british cities during ww2 the attack on london by german bombers started on 7th september 1940 and it didnt end until may 1941. Mar 03, 2017 luftwaffe bombed london systematically from september 7, 1940.
The forgotten blitz on scotland that left hundreds dead. This excellent book describes clydebank before during and after the 2 day blitzkreig of 14 march 1941 that totally destroyed the area killing hundreds and demolshing nearly every building. The clydebank blitz refers to two devastating luftwaffe air raids on the shipbuilding town of clydebank in scotland which took place in march 1941. Clydebank blitz survivor weeps for brother killed in deadly. This strong and uplifting novel about the clydebank blitz during the second world war has recently been selected. The clydebank blitz 15 march 1941 on the nights of 14 and 1415 march 1941 luftwaffe bombers raided clydeside and inflicted casualties in several industrial centres. Places in scotland, scotland travel, scottish culture, family history book, the blitz, glasgow scotland, city maps, luftwaffe, best cities. Local history expert jo sherington, of west dunbartonshire council. Nov 10, 2018 on the 7th september, 1940 germany started bombing civilian targets in an attempt to get britain to surrender into submission. When the blitz came to clydebank open university in scotland. It seems that london was the main target for the aerial attack of germany. Find a giftcreate a listwish from any websitewedding listbaby wishlistkids wish listdiscover your. A fellow blitz memorial committee member is denis kearns. The raids targeted the many ships and shipyards around the town but like the clydebank blitz the previous march the brunt of the bombing was taken by civilians.
The number of casualties attributed to the clydebank blitz is 528. Arado 234 blitz luftwaffe jet bomber of ww2 duration. Clydebank was the main target for a bomb strike as it played a vital part in the war effort by providing a vast amount of munitions. When the blitz came to clydebank, bombs rained on a workforce in which some 6,000 apprentices were engaged in a strike over their working conditions that had already lasted several days. This city was bombed 71 times over the period of 37 weeks or 267 days. As a result of the raids on the nights of and 14 march 1941, the town was largely destroyed and it suffered the worst destruction and civilian loss of life in all of scotland. On a moonlit evening on thursday march 1941, just after 9pm, the first of 236 german bombers converged on clydeside. Thomas andrews shares his childhood memories of the clydebank blitz of world war two. Asked in world war 2, britain in ww2, history of scotland what time did the clydebank blitz start. The author has given us a well researched book encompassing history. More information on the clydeside blitz can be found at the blitz on clydeside website. The town was bombed 28 times during world war ii followed by aberdeen. Clydebank blitz wikimili, the free encyclopedia wikimili, the free encyclopedia.
Here are some facts and some pieces of key information about the blitz, an important, yet terrifying part of world war 2. The clydebank blitz took place on the nights of the th. See more ideas about glasgow, scotland and the blitz. On th march, 1941, 236 luftwaffe bombers attacked targets in the clydebank area. Clydebank blitz on and 14 march 1941, clydebank was the target of one of the most intense luftwaffe bombing raids of world war ii.
However, for the vast majority of clydebank s population, life has always been hard. This can be confirmed by british and german archives. Hundreds of incendiaries came falling from the sky like raindrops in a storm and thus stared many fires which were stoked by even more incendiaries and high explosives. Great western rd, clydebank scotland west dunbartonshire clydebank this memorial in old dalnottar cemetery commemorates the victims of the two devastating german air raids on the shipbuilding town of clydebank om and 14 march 1941. A very large proportion of the material in the book including stories from overseas is there because of helens prodigious energy and the success of a project she had already initiated. Its 75 years since clydebank was devastated during two. One of the most intense german bombings took place there on the th and 14th march 1941. The cities attacked by germany were liverpool, london, birmingham, southampton, hull, portsmouth, glasgow, bristol, and plymouth. Clydebank museum and art gallery 2020 all you need to know. Through lessons learned elsewhere, clydeside by 1941 had prepared itself comparatively well to undergo aerial attack. The clydebank blitz on th and 14th march 1941 saw in excess of 450 elite german pathfinder bombers fly over the area during the two nights of bombing. The name blitz comes from the word blitzkrieg which meant lightning war. The clydebank blitz refers to two luftwaffe air raids that devastated these shipping towns in scotland. Its well written, obviously thoroughly researched, and full both of facts and human interest.
The blitz in scotland differentiated reading comprehension. Maviss shoe and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Mar 18, 2014 on a moonlit evening on thursday march 1941, just after 9pm, the first of 236 german bombers converged on clydeside. When, on the evening of march 1941, the authorities first detected that clydebank was on beam targeted by the primitive radioguidance system of the german bombers. This fact file is a great way to teach your children about the blitz in scotland with a choice of three differentiated sheets of comprehension questions to answer. Clydebank blitz has gained renown far beyond the local area. The greenock blitz, again over two nights, in may, 1941 the second and last of. The german air force was drawn back after it is lost on september 15th, 1940 for they focused on the daylight attack. A pair of nazi books studded with shrapnel from the clydebank blitz are among the chilling centrepieces of commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the attack on the town. Another raid was to hit the following night, friday 14th, as war came to the streets of scotland. Glasgow and carbeth during this harrowing time in scotlands history. The two nights saw 528 people dead and a further 617 residents seriously injured. Clydebank blitz world war ii 193945 scotlands history.
As a result of the raids on the nights of and 14 march 1941, the town was largely destroyed. Mar 26, 2019 the clydebank blitz took place over two nights in march 1941, with the luftwaffe bombs killing 528 people and damaging almost all of the areas 12,000 homes. Mar, 2016 on the nights of march and 14, 1941, nazi bombs intended for the shipbuilders and the munitions factories of clydebank rained down on the tenement homes, killing, crushing and maiming. According to the official statistics 528 people, from one. Clydebank blitz the worst of these attacks was the clydebank blitz, which took place on march th and 14 th 1941. Despite being a major target during the war, the crane and shipyard survived the devastating clydebank blitz in march 1941.
Glasgow, greenock, aberdeen and the coastal burghs of the north east were all bombed during the war, but clydebank suffered the sad distinction of being the most heavily damaged town in britain. Night after night, from september 1940 until may 1941, german bombers attacked british cities, ports and industrial areas. One of the memories i have from world war two is when i was aged seven and had an older brother and sister. On 14 march 2009 a monument commemorating the 528 scots civilians killed during the clydebank blitz was unveiled in west dunbartonshire. Mar 30, 2016 its 75 years since clydebank was devastated during two deadly air raids in world war two. The british under attack offers a highly focused view of world war ii as seen from the shattered streets of great britain, particularly london, from the first wave of german bombers on the night of 7 september 1940 through the last major bombing runs in may 1941. Clydebank has a proud industrial and manufacturing past, with workers most notably providing hardware for textile production, ships for early travel and tourism for the leisured classes, and materials for the war effort. We were so innocent and loved it when the siren went off for an air raid as it meant we went into the shelter for tea and biscuits. My greatgrandmother died in the blitz in clydebank.
New book lifts lid on why scotland was top of hitlers air. The cold hard facts of the blitz archived 20110725 at the wayback machine, clydebank post, 21 april 2010. Each night, over 200 german bombers attacked, aiming to. Memories of the clyebank blitz in world war two history. The attack on london by german bombers started on 7th september 1940 and it didnt end until may 1941. It is thousands of tragic experiences bonded together by a single catastrophic event and like all things which entail human activity it is complex. Clydebank is known for its year of shipbuilding and is famous for its cunard ship yard john browns.
Clydebank blitz wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Several different types of air raid shelters were used by the people of britain during the blitz of world war 2. The only other book ive come across about the clydebank blitz is much less scholarly. The clydebank blitz 15 march 1941 national records of. I spent my teenage years in knightswood in glasgow and although i knew that huge parts of clydebank had been flattened during the war, i really had no idea which areas of glasgow had been. To stay away from the raf defenses, the german decided to launch the nocturnal attack. Many of the ships that where built in the yard had scale size models made from them which have been retained and are now on show at the clydebank museum. Timeline world history documentaries recommended for you 1. The incredible story of the decoy city designed to save. The greenock blitz is the name given to two nights of intensive bombing of the town of greenock, scotland during the second world war when the nazi german luftwaffe attacked in may 1941 the raids targeted the many ships and shipyards around the town but like the clydebank blitz the previous march the brunt of the bombing was taken by civilians. These included the shipyards, dalnottar tank farm and large factories which were involved in making munitions, such as singers sewing machine factory. Shrapnelstudded nazi books form cornerstone of clydebank. The blitz was a huge bombing campaign of london and other english cities carried about by the german airforce from september 1940 to may 1941.
German bombers attacked british cities, ports and industrial areas. The clydebank blitz and over 8 million other books are. No german bombers were shot down or lost to mechanical failure in the area, as one of comments suggests. It took place on the nights of th and 14th march 1941. The names of the people who died are inscribed in a bronze plaque. Some of these shelters made use of structures and underground spaces which already existed, and some of the shelters were constructed from scratch. The blitz, september 1940may 1941, nighttime bombing raids against london and other british cities by nazi germany during world war ii. The greenock blitz was two nights of intensive bombing of the town of greenock, scotland during the second world war when the luftwaffe attacked in may 1941. Although there wasnt a picture of it, the book mentioned a painting called bomb crater, knightswood by ian fleming, painted after the clydebank blitz. At one point during the blitz, london was bombed for 57 nights in a row. The cool, unwavering courage of the people is evident, and when the full story of their heroism in the face of the luftwaffe is told, they will take their place alongside the citizens of london and coventry. At the time the governments initial assessment was more concerned with industrial production. Clydebank 1966 glasgow scotland, scotland travel, family history book, historical photos. The blitz was a term used to describe the heavy bombing of london and other british cities during ww2.
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