FACTSHEETS

THE CLYDEBANK BLITZ

The Clydebank Blitz (short for Blitzkrieg, or lightning war because of its swiftness) began at 9.10pm on Thursday 13th March and lasted till 6.20am on Friday morning.

During the day, many people left Clydebank due to the bombing and people with luggage queued for buses. This was called ‘trekking’. On Friday evening, the bombers arrived at 8.35pm and left at 2.27am on Saturday morning, revisiting between 4.10am and 5.30am.

Only seven houses in Clydebank were left undamaged, but local industries such as John Brown and Singer were largely unaffected. The Home Office announced that a thousand people had died, although this figure has been disputed ever since, and a thousand people were badly injured. Many of the dead could not be claimed by their friends and families and they were buried at Dalnottar cemetery on 17th March 1941.

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.

Glasgow Herald, 18th March 1941.

The total number of British civilians killed in World War II bombing raids was 60,595. The total number of German civilians was over 750,000.