TWO Nazi books which were damaged by Nazi bombing during the Clydebank Blitz are to go on display in the town.

The books on National Socialism, one of which has a swastika on its front cover, were hit by shrapnel when Clydebank Library was bombed by the Luftwaffe in the early hours of the morning on March 13, 1941.

They have been preserved and are due to form part of an exhibition in Clydebank Heritage Centre next year as the town prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of The Blitz.

In a further twist, the books will be located in the basement of the library — home to the bustling control centre during World War Two.

One of the books is Germany, the Last Four Years: A Independent Examination of the Results of National Socialism by Germanicus. The other is A History of National Socialism, by Konrad Heiden.

Their discovery is chronicled in the writings of IMM MacPhail, who told the story of deputy town clerk, James Hastings, in his book The Clydebank Blitz.

In the account, Mr Hastings recalled being off duty and staying with friends in Scotstoun on the evening of March 13, 1941.

Alarms sounded at 9pm and half an hour later, bombs started to fall.

Mr Hastings heard the anti-aircraft guns and the bombs falling and decided to walk from his friend’s house to Clydebank.

He arrived at the library just after 2.55am. By the time he got there, there was no electricity and there were no phone lines.

Recalling the moment the library was hit soon afterwards, the account from Mr Hastings reads: “There was the most damnable crash above. We were showered with glass, which percolated through the wooden reinforcements (in the ceiling of the basement).

“No one was terribly concerned at the moment: we were alive and we shook dust off our papers and equipment and got on with the job. The library itself was a perfect shambles.” Andrew Graham, a collections officer with the heritage team at West Dunbartonshire Council, said: “The quotes from Mr Hastings are fascinating.

“There is something very British about the description of the ‘damnable crash’ and the way he described everyone shaking the dust off their papers and getting on with it.

“It doesn’t take away from the horrific realities of what had happened. Those accounts bring it to life and give us an insight into the events which took place.” The final bomb fell at around 5.30am. At 6.25am, the all-clear was given.

Later that morning, the full extent of the carnage became clear — and the damaged prose was discovered.

Mr MacPhail wrote: “On entering the vestibule of the library next morning (14th) to view the damage, the convenor of the library books sub-committee, whose own home had been destroyed, picked up two books which had been blown towards the door.” Preserved in their 1941 state, the books have been kept safely in storage but are due to go back on public display in the library where they were kept more than seven decades ago.

They will form part of an exhibition on the Blitz, aided by a funding boost of £10,000 to West Dunbartonshire Council from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Only seven houses escaped unscathed during the Clydebank Blitz as bombs rained down on the town for two nights during World War Two.

The exhibition will open in Clydebank Heritage Centre from March 12, 2016, with the Blitz 75th anniversary falling on March 13 and 14.