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The Clydebank Blitz was a pair of air raids conducted by the Luftwaffe on the shipbuilding and munition-making town of Clydebank in Scotland. The bombings took place in March 1941.
The air raids were part of a bombing program known today as The Blitz.
Clydebank's production of ships and munitions for the Allies made it a target (similar to the Barrow Blitz). Major targets included the John Brown & Company shipyard, ROF Dalmuir and the Singer Corporation factory. RAF fighters managed to shoot down two aircraft during the raid, but none were brought down by anti-aircraft fire.
In his book Luftwaffe over Scotland: A History of German Air Attacks on Scotland, 1939-45, amateur historian Les Taylor characterised the Clydebank Blitz as "the most cataclysmic event" in wartime Scotland. He claims that while the raid on 13 March was not intended as a terror attack, it caused extensive damage because there was a lot of housing near the specific targets but the bombings the following night were indeed a terror attack as it "was intended to crack morale and force the people to call for an end to the war. However, it had quite the opposite effect, strengthening resolve for the war in Scotland." "The cold hard facts of the Blitz" , Clydebank Post, 21 April 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
Many industrial targets were severely damaged. Singer's wood yard was destroyed and Singer's main building was badly damaged. Rothesay Dock and John Browns Shipyards suffered severe incendiary damage. William Beardmore & Co lost furnaces and related industrial infrastructure. Schools, churches and built-up town areas became victims of incendiaries.
An additional memorial is dedicated to the crew of a Polish destroyer, , which helped defend the town from the docks of the John Brown & Company shipyard. It is located directly opposite from the Town Hall, which has itself a shrine dedicated to those in Clydebank who died during World War I and World War II. There is another war memorial on Graham Avenue. A recording made in May 1941 by bombed-out civilian Tom Wright features on The Blitz, an archive audiobook CD issued in 2007.
There is a yearly memorial service held at Kilbowie Saint Andrew's Parish Church on the anniversary of the Clydebank Blitz and a memorial garden is located there. It is the only Church of Scotland building to survive the Blitz bombings. In 1997, as part of their 100-year anniversary celebration, a memorial side chapel dedicated to the victims of the Clydebank Blitz called "The Blitz Chapel" was added to the church. The church displays a triptych painting portraying images of the Blitz created by artist Tom McKendrick.
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