A wartime street scene, c 1940, looking south-west to the corner of Buchanan Street and Gordon Street. Note the blackout hoods over the headlamps of the car.
When war broke out in September 1939, it was widely believed that mass air attacks would follow. A blackout of lighting at night was ordered, leading to a substantial increase in casualties from motoring and other accidents.
There was some confusion as to which lights were covered by blackout regulations. Initially it was stated that close lights in tenements should be left on and windows blacked out. Glasgow Corporation pointed out that around 3,300 closes in the city had no windows, only roof lights which would have to be painted over. Electric stair lights only came on with street lighting in many areas of the city, while the picture was further confused by the fact that some closes were still lit by gas.
Reference: P1380
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
accidents, air raid precautions, air raids, banks, blackout, closes, Commercial Bank of Scotland, Henry Burton & Co, lighting, lights, motor cars, outfitters, Second World War, shops, streetscenes, T Ross & Son, watchmakers
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