THERE were tanks on the streets of Glasgow in 1919 when a strike sparked these scenes in Glasgow's Trongate.

Recently back from the Western Front many must have thought they would never see a tank again, never mind on the city's streets.

But the dispute over shorter working hours led to riots that the City of Glasgow Police struggled to contain.

The rise of the left following revolution in Russia led the government of the time to fear a Bolshevik uprising and Home Secretary Winston Churchill called in the army.

The aim of cutting the working week was in part a bid to create more jobs for those fearing redundancy after war contracts came to an end, and 40,000 workers came out on strike on January 27 in support of a 40-hour working week. Four days later their ranks had swollen to 60,000.

The cause of the rioting was disputed, with some blaming an unprovoked baton charge by police, and other saying the strikers tried to stop trams in George Square.

Whatever the cause, the trouble led to injuries and jail terms. The dispute resulted a guarantee of a 47-hour week.