Westminster will today commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Clydebank Blitz with a service in the House of Commons chapel.
There will also be a debate on the floor of the main chamber and a reception in the state rooms of Speaker’s House.
The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Right Rev Dr Angus Morrison, will preach at the service, which has been organised by SNP MP Martin Docherty-Hughes.
It will be the first-ever ceremony held in memory of those killed and injured in the devastating two-day air raid on March 13 and 14, 1941.
The town suffered the most concentrated bomb damage of any part of Britain during the Second World War after the Luftwaffe attacked military targets, including the John Brown shipyard and the Singer sewing machine factory.
A total of 528 civilians were killed, more than 617 were severely injured and all but seven out of 12,000 homes were destroyed, leaving around 50,000 people homeless.
West Dunbartonshire MP, Mr Docherty-Hughes, who grew up in Clydebank, secured special permission from John Bercow and the speaker’s chaplain to host the event, which comes after a weekend of local commemorations.
It will take place at noon on the day the ‘all-clear’ sounded in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft.
The MP said: “The Clydebank Blitz saw destruction on a massive scale, with the largest loss of civilian life in Scotland’s modern history.
“Seventy-five years on, it’s important to remember the difficulties our community endured to protect our freedom in the face of fascist tyranny.”
Speaking ahead of the service, the Right Rev Dr Morrison highlighted the spirit of the people of Clydebank, which he said had remained unbroken in the face of repeated bombing attacks bHe added: “Far from being cowed and panicked, their resolution to resist so great an evil was only intensified.
“The suffering, resilience and courage of the citizens of Clydebank has not always been adequately acknowledged.
“It is appropriate on this 75th anniversary that we remember and honour the people of Clydebank, past and present, and pray for the future of this remarkable community.”
