Like many people my age, I grew up listening to my grandmothers talking about their experiences in Glasgow in the Second World War. In 1941 my maternal grandma Greta McLean was 14 and working in a ball bearing factory in Stronend Street, Possilpark making parts for tanks. In the same year, my paternal grandma Frances Byrne was a wee bit younger, 11 years old and a pupil at St Mary’s school in Kilmun St, Maryhill.
After what I could only describe as a misspent youth in Glasgow, I eventually met my wife and moved to the US for over a decade. After moving back to Glasgow with my family I decided I wanted to go to university and set about finding a path. As History and Archaeology were two things I loved, I enrolled in the master’s program at the University of Glasgow studying Conflict Archaeology. My thesis was on the heavy anti-aircraft defences around Glasgow in WWII. While researching this topic, I discovered the Mitchell Library archives and particularly the treasure trove of reports of enemy actions over the city of Glasgow in WWII. This led me to a PhD researching the Luftwaffe attacks on Glasgow in WWII. A very enjoyable experience, but sadly my PhD became a victim of the Covid pandemic in 2020. However, having amassed thousands of documents on this topic, I wanted my discoveries to be known.
My endeavour is not to rewrite the stories but to put them in their historical and strategic context. To this avail I hope to constantly be updating this website and the maps with information and photos as I come across them. I hope that this will become a resource to anyone who wishes to use it and inspire them to do their own research in the future.
Regards
Marc Patrick Conaghan
Hi Marc, and oft neglected subject, I live in Heatherbank park, Neilston, G78, which I believe was an Ack Ack site in WW2 for the protection of Abbotsinch and RR Hillington, do you have any further info on that area?
Hey Tony,
Thanks for your response 🙂 I am just trying to remember of the top of my head here… but is that the gun emplacement of Ferenze road or something? If that is the ones I am thinking of they were designated as HAA Millthird. However the guns were removed and the emplacements destroyed. The gun emplacements that are there just now are post WWII and were part of defense of Glasgow from Soviet Aircraft. I think they date from immediate post war up to the 50s. Will have a look at my map when I get home to double check.
Marc P. Conaghan
Hi Marc
thanks for getting back to me, yes it the one just off Fereneze Road, I didn’t know that the site was post WW2, there is quite a lot of the architecture still there
regards
Tony
ta for your efforts!
William Love was my great grandfather. Killed at the co op building in Morrison street where he was the night watchman. According to his death certificate his body wasn’t found until the 31st if March, official cause of death was injuries due to falling masonry. He is buried in Lambhill cemetery.Thanks for remembering him
Hey Scott could you email me at marc.conaghan@targetclydeside.co.uk
Hi Marc, Email sent
It’s the ‘Clydebank Blitz’ Marc!-The vast majority of this was felt by the people of Clydebank which was flattened with over 500 dead!-Not sure the people there would agree with you renaming it ‘Target Clydeside!’
So over 1200 people died in the attacks and we should name the entire event after the 528 that died in Clydebank? The Clydebank Blitz is a correct term when you are talking about the tragic events that happened in Clydebank. It is not correct however when you are talking about the people that died all over Clydeside. I haven’t renamed it. It was known as the attack on Clydeside for 50 years. More people died in Glasgow in 3 hours than died in Clydebank in two days. Think about that for a minute and then tell me why those nearly 700 people don’t deserve to be remembered.
So why is it that if you google ‘attack on clydeside’-it comes up as ‘wikipedia clydebank blitz!
That is exactly my point. The narrative in the last 20+ years has been shaped by a number of books who made claims that Clydebank was the primary target of the Luftwaffe. All evidence from British and German sources proves this to be wrong. By disconnecting Clydebank from the attack on Clydeside it does a disservice to the people who died in other areas. Some folk even call the attacks on Greenock and Port Glasgow the ‘Clydebank Blitz’ even though they occurred 2 months later. The Clydeside Blitz, as it was known for 50 years was the deadliest attack on any British city in WWII outside of London. In fact when you account for the many dead not actually counted it might even surpass that. My research doesn’t in any way diminish anything that happened in Clydebank. On the contrary you will see every known bomb and fatality on the map.
I’m 64 and I’ve never heard of the ‘Clydeside Blitz!’-Nor it seems has Wikipedia!-But I suppose if it makes you happy!