A story of friendship between Scotland and Russia during the Second World War is being celebrated once again, now that an historic album of messages and signatures from Airdrie and Coatbridge women to the women of Leningrad has been donated to a North Lanarkshire library.
During the war, the city of Leningrad endured one of the longest and most devastating sieges in modern history. Lasting nearly 900 days from 1941 to 1944, the blockade brought extreme hunger, bitter winters and constant bombardment to more than two million people trapped in the city.
Despite these hardships, the people of Leningrad never surrendered.
People across the UK, including those in Airdrie and Coatbridge, were moved by their struggle. Local members of the Airdrie branch of the Russia Today Society decided to collect and send messages of support to the women in the besieged city.
In autumn 1941, volunteers approached women’s groups, factories, churches and co-operatives in Airdrie and Coatbridge.
In just two weeks they gathered thousands of signatures and messages of support from across the towns. And local art teacher Margaret Plant suggested turning the lists into a beautifully bound album, which would become known as the Scottish Album.
A copy of this album is now available for visitors and residents to view at Airdrie Library after it was donated by local Burns enthusiast Helen Morrison.
“The album is covered in Buchanan tartan silk, decorated with a thistle, and included illustrations alongside poetry by Robert Burns and Coatbridge poet Janet Hamilton,” explained Helen.
“It carried a simple but powerful message of friendship and admiration from the women of Airdrie and Coatbridge for the courage of Leningrad’s women.
“I thought it was important for people in Airdrie, as well as visitors to the library, to be able to see this album. It now sits proudly beside the facsimile of the Leningrad Album, which the women of Leningrad sent to Scotland in return.”
“And I really hope that it will continue to inspire young people in here in North Lanarkshire and beyond, keeping alive a powerful example of friendship, culture and kindness across borders.”
In December 1941, Agnes Maxwell presented the album at the Soviet Embassy in London on behalf of thousands of Scottish women. Against all the odds, it was transported along limited wartime supply routes and eventually reached Leningrad.
Despite the terrible conditions in the city, the album was received with great enthusiasm. It was read aloud at meetings attended by workers, teachers, scientists and housewives, offering a powerful reminder that people far away were thinking of them.
The gesture inspired an extraordinary response. Women in Leningrad created their own album for Scotland, filled with letters, watercolours and prints. The work was overseen by renowned artist Anna Petrovna Ostroumova-Lebedeva, with poetry contributed by Vera Inber.
Even during the siege, culture remained a source of strength and community in the city, and the album reflected that spirit. Like the Scottish one before it, the Leningrad album was secretly transported out of the city, flown to Moscow and then sent on to Britain.
In 1943 it arrived in Glasgow and became the centrepiece of a “Russia Week” exhibition in Airdrie, celebrating the courage and resilience of the people of Leningrad.
Today the original Leningrad Album is cared for by The Mitchell Library in Glasgow, while the original Scottish album remains in St Petersburg.
Provost Kenneth Duffy said: “It’s such a powerful story of how small acts of kindness and creativity can build powerful connections across borders. I feel it provides such a strong message of hope, especially when you reflect on our own troubled times.”
In 2017 a facsimile copy of the Leningrad Album was acquired by North Lanarkshire Council and now copies of both the Scottish and Russian albums are available for the public to view by appointment at the first-floor Airdrie Local Studies room within Airdrie Library, open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 10.30am – 1pm and 2pm – 4pm. To make an appointment call 01236 758073 or email heritagecentre@northlan.gov.uk