Scotland was of grave strategic importance during the war because of its
geographical position and Glasgow was the location of a significant
number of important military and civil organizations as well as housing
industry which was vital to the national war effort.
Glasgow's importance attracted enemy attention on many occasions with
the city and its hinterland being heavily raided by the Luftwaffe. These
raids included the infamous raid on Clydebank on 13th and 14th March
which killed over 500 dead and only seven houses undamaged in the town.
Under relentless bombing the Glaswegians maintained their spirit and
remained committed to the war effort.
Although Glasgow's shipyards, munitions factories and other industries
were all vital to the war effort so too was the location of the city
itself. The Clyde was the end point for many Atlantic convoys bringing
precious food, material and men to the war-struck British Isles and the
city was thus a vital link in the nation's war effort.
No member of the population of Glasgow escaped the war, whether it was
the huge numbers of men and women from the area who came forward for
service in the military or in roles such as the Home Guard, ARP
services, nursing, working in vital war industries, struggling to
maintain a household under strict rationing and the stresses of wartime
life, or children evacuated from the city to the rural areas of Scotland
to escape the expected bombing campaign.
Glasgow was also home to a sizable Italian community which was badly
affected by internment and the subsequent tight restrictions on movement
and civil rights. The Italian community was also subjected to violent
attacks when rioting mobs attacked Italian owned business throughout the
city.
