Clydebank blitz Polish fallen remembered

Polish Consul General in Scotland, Mr Lukasz Lutostanski, laid a wreath at the Polish memorial in Solidarity Plaza in Clydebank during Blitz Memorial Day services on 11 March.

The ceremony followed an earlier service at the Clydebank Memorial in Old Dalnottar cemetery. This service was also attended by members of the Polish community in Scotland who were remembering the loss of life amongst the crew of the Polish warship ORP Piorun, which was alongside in the town's harbour and assisted the local community in the 1941 Blitz.

The ceremony was attended by Dunbartonshire's Vice Lieutenant Linda Moffat and representatives from West Dunbartonshire Council, Police Scotland and the Royal British Legion.

The defence of the town during the Luftwaffe bombings on the night of March 13th and 14th, would not have been possible without the ORP Piorun, which was anchored at the John Brown shipyards. Commanded by Captain Eugeniusz Pławski, she was the only military vessel to put up organised resistance during the attacks on Clydebank, which claimed more than 500 lives. 

The heroism of the crew of the ORP Piorun is still vividly remembered by the local people and 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.