4th May 1941: When War Came to Paisley’s West End
On the evening of 4th May 1941, the skies over Paisley’s West End darkened not with weather, but with war. As residents began to settle down for the night, the distant sound of gunfire pierced the calm. Within minutes, the unimaginable was happening: an air raid was underway over Paisley.
What began as distant rumbles quickly escalated into a full-blown assault from above. The German Luftwaffe had launched a devastating attack on nearby Clydeside, and Paisley, though not the primary target, was caught in the chaos of war. Explosions lit up the night sky, sirens wailed, and families scrambled for cover in their Anderson shelters and cellars.
For the people of the West End, the next forty-eight hours would be among the most terrifying in living memory. Bombs fell across the town, damaging homes, shops, and streets that had stood peacefully for generations. Fires raged. Emergency services worked through the night, navigating rubble-strewn roads and helping the injured.
In the days that followed, the true scale of the destruction emerged. As Paisley would suffer its worst disaster, Entire families were displaced, their homes reduced to bricks and ash. Windows were shattered for streets on end. Yet amid the horror, stories of courage and kindness also surfaced — neighbours helping neighbours, communities pulling together to care for the wounded and homeless.
6th May 1941: When War Came to Paisley’s West End
It was the early hours of Tuesday 6th May 1941 when the Luftwaffe dropped there landmine by parachute on the Woodside First Aid Post Killing 92 people, there were only four survivors out of the worst single disaster to hit during two world wars – one hard hitting point is that Robert McConnell ( Age 11 ) died in the Glen Cinema Disaster only for his sister Mary to die in the First Aid Post Disaster.
Two firefighters were killed at Canavans Coal yard at 34 Newton Street, John Farrow of 1 Thistle Street aged 16 ( headstone pictured above ) who was the fire services night time messenger and David Wilson of 28 Ferguslie Walk aged 30 years both there names are on the National Fire Fighters Memorial in London. Another bomb landed at Havelock Terrace which was on Seedhill Road ( pictured below ), between the two ends of Auchentorlie Quadrant where the shops now stand, with other bombs falling at Tannahill Road, Bankfoot Road where Mr James Bell had a lucky escape as his house was bombed shortly after heading out that night with his wife to be.
In the long and often painful memory of war, some stories stand out not only for their tragedy but for the strength and resilience of those who lived through them. One such story is that of Jenny Enterkin, a Paisley woman whose life was marked by extraordinary survival.
Born in 1913, Jenny was just 27 years old when she walked into the Woodside First Aid Post on her first night of duty in May 1941. It would become a night Paisley would never forget.
As the Luftwaffe launched a devastating bombing raid over the town, a direct hit on the first aid post at Woodside killed 92 people — making it the worst single loss of life in Paisley’s history. Jenny, against all odds, was blasted clear of the building by the force of the explosion. She was the sole survivor of the disaster.
Jenny, who lived most of her life in Castle Street, carried the memory of that night with quiet dignity for the rest of her days.
In 2016, at the age of 103, Jenny made an emotional return to Paisley. The visit brought her face to face once more with the streets and stories of her youth and the cord from the Luftwaffe bomb that destroyed the Woodside first aid post, and reminded the town of her incredible resilience. Local people paid tribute to her, not just as a survivor, but as a living link to a chapter of history few can now personally recall.
Jenny passed away the following year, in 2017, aged 103.
Today, as we also remember both Jenny Enterkin and the many lives lost at the Woodside First Aid Post, we are reminded of the strength of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Jenny’s survival was nothing short of miraculous — but her quiet courage, like that of so many during the war, deserves to be remembered just as much.
Also killed at Newton Street was Fireman David Wilson, 30, from 28 Ferguslie Walk. He is buried at Abbey Cemetery in Elderslie.
Arkleston, Barshaw and Queen street in Renfrew were amongst other areas hit. Do you have a story from the Woodside First Aid Post disaster to tell ? please e-mail the page at admin@paisleyphotographs.com and let me know the story.
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