THE Herald reported: ''Greenock and Port Glasgow bore the brunt of two nights' air raids on Lower Clydeside last month, it may now be revealed. The neighbouring burgh of Gourock also suffered to a lesser degree.

''The attacks were of unusual ferocity. The Nazi airmen swept over in unbroken waves, and did as much damage in the space of three hours as they have done in many other places in the course of a whole night's attack.

''The raiders were lucky in their second night's attack in hitting and setting fire to the Ardgowan distillery in the early stages of the raid. Incendiaries accompanying high explosives caused a great fire, which stood out like a beacon over the town and provided the following airmen with an easy target. The burning liquor released from the tanks flowed down the street, turning the thoroughfare into a sea of flame.

''Tenements, cottages, and semi-detached villas were wiped out, and people fled to the uplands, where they tried to find shelter in wooded hills or gulleys. Here their agony was intensified by ruthless machine-gunning as planes swooped low.''

n THE Herald also reported: ''A total of 3700 refugees received assistance at 22 centres in Ayrshire after the recent raid on Clydeside. The Skelmorlie relief organisation dealt with 1250 and Largs with 800.''

n THE Herald recorded: ''Last year, there were 18,000 allotments in Scotland, but that number has already increased to 32,000 this year and is still steadily growing.''

June 4, 1941