Air Raids and Evacuation
The biggest threat to Britons during the war was from air attacks. London
suffered the most but other cities around the country were also attacked including
Liverpool , Manchester and Glasgow. Scotland witnessed the first civilian
casualties in the war with the German bombing of the huge Scapa Flow naval
base in Orkney in March 1940. Edinburgh experienced bombing early in the war
with the Forth Rail Bridge becoming a target for the Luftwaffe on October 16,
1939. Many other Scottish cities were the victims of enemy bombings - Aberdeen
was the most frequently bombed city in Scotland, and Fraserburgh became known
as "Hell Fire Corner".
However, the worst attack happened on the
night of 13-14 September 1941 when Clydebank and Glasgow were the victims
of a massive blitz attack by over 200 German bombers. Clydeside was an
obvious target as it was the site of a huge complex of industrial production
and shipyards. Only 7 houses in Clydebank were undamaged, and 35,000 of
its 47,000 people were made homeless. 300 people were killed that night.
By the end of the war Scotland's fatality list from enemy action
totalled 2,298, with a further 2,167 injured and 3,558 slightly injured.
There was also a lot of structural damage caused by the 250 enemy air raids.
How do you think it felt to see your country in such danger? Listen to
the following extract to find out how one person felt.
"...when that bomb went off I had to run home to see if my mother's
house was alright. It wis ok but the kitchen roof was down but ma auntie's
house in Prince Regent Street, they were a top flat wi' young kids,
it wis smashed to pieces. None of them were hurt"
Click on a link to hear the extract: Broadband version --- Dialup version
"Ma father used tae watch the Messerschmitts fightin' each other,
goin' across the Forth . He used tae stand and
watch them goin' over our head"
Click on a link to hear the extract: Broadband version --- Dialup version
"I thought a bomb wis goin' tae come through
the roof any minute now"
Click on a link to hear the extract: Broadband version --- Dialup version
"We were in the shelter and everything went black and ma dad was out ... if your business or where
you worked was anywhere near when there was a raid ye had to go there and it wis called fire watching
... aw the guys had to take a turn jist tae make sure the building didnae [catch] fire wi'
an incendiary or something... He came back to the shelter and he said ‘The place is in a hell
of a mess' ken, he had walked back doon after the landmine had fell.... there were chunks
o' plaster and that fae the church at the top o' the street. It had been aw damaged".
Click on a link to hear the extract: Broadband version --- Dialup version
"Aw the shutters had been blown off and strewn across the room .. every ceiling in the house wis brought down ...
the fly sweeps had left their bags of soot in the garret and when that happened everything wis covered in soot."
Click on a link to hear the extract: Broadband version --- Dialup version
The
government took action quickly to protect the country against these air
raids and other threats to the country.
There were lots of ways you could
try to protect your home from the effects of an air raid. Windows were
taped up to protect against damage from splintered glass. (When a bomb
exploded the blast would shatter the glass.) For even more protection from
bomb blasts, sandbags were propped up against windows. In fact, so many
sandbags were needed that all of the jute produced
in Dundee was used to make them! Cracks in the walls and floors were
sealed with paper and paste. Ceilings were propped up with wood to strengthen
them.
Many people had Anderson shelters in their gardens. These were made of corrugated steel covered with earth and had room for about 6 people.When an air raid was about to take place a siren would sound and those with an Anderson shelter would run to the shelter to take cover. It gave good protection against shrapnel and flying glass. Those who did not have a garden were given Morrison shelters, named after Herbert Morrison, Minister for Home Security. These shelters could be set up indoors.
Families were encouraged to stock their shelters or refuge rooms with some food and other basic supplies such as water, blankets, clothing, chamber pot, disinfectant and a wireless to keep up-to-date with conditions and safety instructions. The shelters often ended up being used for other purposes..
"We used tae get
in the Anderson Shelter. They horrible things. It wis terrible. It wis
never used as an Anderson Shelter. We couldn't put it under the
ground, there were too many pipes, we had it as just a garden shed. That's
what they ended up as. They had bunk-beds in them.........
Ma sister said if that dog barks the night there's going to be a raid
and as sure as fate it happened...she must have had a sixth sense...she
used tae scurry away underneath the blankets.The dog? No ma sister........
I wis having ma first son and I had everything in a suitcase, ye ken
fir a first baby, and every time the sirens went ma sister grabbed this case... and
there was one night when we got up there she jist had the handle.".
Click on a link to hear the extract: Broadband version --- Dialup version
The War Begins /
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;)
The biggest threat to Britons during the war was from air attacks. London
suffered the most but other cities around the country were also attacked including
Liverpool , Manchester and Glasgow. Scotland witnessed the first civilian
casualties in the war with the German bombing of the huge Scapa Flow naval
base in Orkney in March 1940. Edinburgh experienced bombing early in the war
with the Forth Rail Bridge becoming a target for the Luftwaffe on October 16,
1939. Many other Scottish cities were the victims of enemy bombings - Aberdeen
was the most frequently bombed city in Scotland, and Fraserburgh became known
as "Hell Fire Corner".