GLASGOW 1919: THE RISE OF RED CLYDESIDE

On the 31st January, 1919, Glasgow was in the midst of a strike for a 40-hour week. A demonstration in George Square saw the Red Flag hoisted and a baton charge by police. The War Cabinet in London had declined pre-emptive arrests but now unleashed the military: 10,000 British soldiers arrived in the city, supported by tanks and guns. Howitzers protruded from the City Chambers and barbed wire surrounded it. These events were mirrored by outbreaks of revolutionary fervour across Europe, and a century later remain central to Glasgow’s collective memory.