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WWII Letters: Scotland's Heart Reaches Besieged Leningrad
11 Mar
Summary
- Scottish WWII letters traveled from Lanarkshire to besieged Leningrad.
- Leningrad women sent their own album in return, showcasing resilience.
- Facsimile copies of both wartime albums are now displayed in Airdrie.
A remarkable wartime gesture of support connected Lanarkshire, Scotland, with the besieged city of Leningrad during World War II. In the autumn of 1941, volunteers from the Airdrie Russia Today Society created the "Scottish Album," a bound volume of signatures and messages for the women of Leningrad. This album, decorated with Buchanan tartan silk and a thistle, was presented to the Soviet embassy in London in December 1941.
Against significant odds, the Scottish Album reached Leningrad, where it was received with great enthusiasm and read aloud at meetings. This display of international solidarity inspired the women of Leningrad to create their own album. Overseen by artist Anna Petrovna Ostroumova-Lebedeva, this Russian album contained letters, watercolours, and prints, and was sent back to Britain, arriving in Glasgow in 1943.
While the original albums are housed in Glasgow and St. Petersburg respectively, facsimile copies of both the Scottish and Leningrad albums are now accessible to the public at Airdrie Library. These copies serve as a powerful reminder of the friendship, culture, and kindness that bridged borders even during the harshest of times, offering inspiration from the courage shown during the nearly 900-day blockade.
