Clydebank Library marked Our Freedom: Then and Now with a programme exploring local history, cultural memory and the many interpretations of freedom shaped by the Second World War.

The programme opened with Against the Croak for Doom: Hamish Henderson’s Vision of Freedom, a talk by Corey Gibson, lecturer in 20th‑century Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow. The event examined the life and work of poet, folklorist and radical thinker Hamish Henderson, focusing on the two central pillars of his cultural‑political project: the “anonymous song poetry of Scotland” and the “comradely solidarity of the anti‑Fascist struggle”. Henderson’s celebrated song Freedom Come‑All‑Ye was explored within its historical context and considered in relation to contemporary understandings of freedom in 2025.

This was followed by Clydebank Blitz: Wartime Damage Then and Now, an exhibition pairing archive images of the devastation caused by the Blitz with contemporary photographs of the same locations by photographer Peter Devlin. The display highlighted the scale of the destruction inflicted on the town and invited visitors to reflect on Clydebank’s suffering, resilience and recovery.

Together, the talk and exhibition offered a powerful lens through which to consider the legacy of wartime experience and the enduring significance of freedom in the community’s story.