The royal couple were being shown around the North British Locomotive Works, and the Queen asked one of the apprentices what he was making.

"Time-and-a-hauf, mum!" came the tongue-in-cheek reply.

Glasgow was the workshop of the war so far as this country was concerned, turning out an immense volume of munitions and war-related products.

The Springburn railway works, for example, made 1.6 million bombs and shells, not to mention 13,000 mines, large numbers of tanks and war locomotives – and even 800 dough-mixing bowls destined for the galleys of the Royal Navy.

Rolls-Royce's main works was based at Crewe, in Cheshire, within easy reach of German bombers, so a 'shadow factory' was constructed at Hillington. It became the largest aero engine factory in the world.

Here, between 1940 and 1945, 10,000 workers made or repaired 50,000 Merlin engines, the power unit at the heart of the Spitfire.

H. Morris & Co, furniture manufacturers before the war, converted their operation to the production of everything from rifles butts and ammunition boxes to landing barge pontoons, aircraft jettison tanks and helicopter blades. One of its projects, however – a flying jeep with twin-bladed rotors – never got off the ground, so to speak.

Blackie & Son, the Bishopbriggs printing company, made shells, while J&G Weir at Cathcart turned out field gun carriages and anti-tank guns.

One of the most diverse of war suppliers was the Scottish Co-operative Workers' Society. Its Shieldhall sheet-metal works made 230,000 'Flying Dustbin' heavy mortar shells, while the motor body and cartwright department, in Scotland Street, produced 750 tank transporters.

The Co-op shoe factory made 607,500 pairs of boots, while their hosiery department manufactured 1.8 million flying suits, uniforms and other military clothing items.