Post-Blitz Clydebank (2008)

During two devastating Luftwaffe air raids in 1941, the town of Clydebank in Scotland was largely destroyed. 528 people died, 617 people were seriously injured, and hundreds more were injured by blast debris. Out of approximately 12,000 houses, only seven remained undamaged - with 4,000 completely destroyed and 4,500 severely damaged. Directed by then 23-year-old debut documentary film-maker, Iain McGuinness, Post-Blitz Clydebank takes you on a journey back in time - from present-day Clydebank to the Clydebank Blitz of 1941 - and then focuses on Bankies' first-hand experiences of the economic, physical and social reconstruction that occurred between 1947 and 1952. Shot in DVCAM on a budget of only £3,000, it is an account of the lives of ordinary people during the most challenging of times. Using archive footage, photos, interviews and narration, the documentary charts the history of a place that, despite only having come into existence in the late 1800s, has seen more change than almost any other Scottish town of a similar age. The subjects covered include education, employment, transport, housing, rationing, healthcare and welfare, and recreation, entertainment and leisure. With the 100-year-old Titan Crane (on the site of the former John Brown and Co. shipyard) used as a poignant reminder of Clydebank's industrial past, present and future throughout the film, the close relationship between the now and then is explored. Several of the contributors are members of the Clydebank Life Story Group, which has published their writings in its compilation books, such as Working Days: An Anthology.