The 80th anniversary of the Luftwaffe air raids of Clydebank and the defence of the city by the Polish warship ORP Piorun.
14.03.2021
The 80th anniversary of the Luftwaffe air raids of Clydebank was commemorated on 13th and 14th of March 2021. During the Clydebank Blitz of 1941 528 people were killed in Clydebank alone and 617 were seriously injured. In the Clydeside area, 1,200 people were killed and 1,100 were injured, making Clydebank Blitz the most tragic event of the Second World War in Scotland.
The defence of the city during the bombings would not be possible without the involvement of the Polish warship ORP Piorun, which at that time was anchored in the docks of the John Brown shipyards. Commanded by Captain Eugeniusz Pławski, ORP Piorun was the only military vessel to put up organised resistance during the attacks on Clydebank.
The heroism of the crew of the ORP Piorun is still vividly remembered by the local people and authorities of the West Dunbartonshire Council, as well as by the wider Polish community in Scotland. There are a number of commemorative plaques around Clydebank celebrating the heroism of ORP Piorun during the defence of the town.
This year, Provost William Hendrie together with Convener of the Cultural Committee Bailie Denis Agnew, both from West Dunbartonshire Council, unveiled a new plaque to commemorate the anniversary of the Clydebank bombing.
Unfortunately, due to the current coronavirus restrictions in Scotland, the commemorative events have been postponed to a later date and will most likely take place in November. Nonetheless, it was possible to deliver online projects, such as commissioning an instrumental piece of music called "Clydebank '41", composed especially for this anniversary by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as part of the "Polska Scotland" series, as well as two songs ("Song of the Clyde" and “There in Cracow stays my darling”) performed by the Changed Voices choir.
The defence of Clydebank by ORP Piorun was highlighted by the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, who said: "The Scottish Government also remembers the bravery of the Polish crew of the ORP Piorun destroyer who stood alongside the people of Clydebank in defending the town during the bombing raids”.
Photos: West Dunbartonshire Council