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.
It was heavily bombed on 13-14 March 1941. Relatively little
harm was done to the intended targets. However, the town and the
Singer sewing machine factory with its famous clock tower, were
badly damaged with over 500 killed and over 600 injured. So
extensive was the damage to buildings that over 35,000 people of
its c50,000 population were left homeless..
Singer's was in its day the largest sewing-machine factory in
the world. This reflected the importance of an invention that
benefited millions of women who previously had to sew everything
from sheets to shirts by hand. The name lives on in the railway
station and a café/bar. The handsome 1902 Town Hall, designed by
James Millar, best known as a railway station designer, houses
the Clydebank Museum.
Also at Clydebank (Back to listing)