Every Hogmanay many look back at the horrifying incident that took place at a Paisley picture house in 1929.
Nearly 900 children left home to watch the Dude Desperado, however 71 of the film goers never saw their families again.
The tragedy is still remembered by the community 93 years later.
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The Glen Cinema Disaster remains one of the worst human tragedies in Scottish history
On December 31, 1929, 71 children left to watch a film at a Paisley picture house and never came home to their families.
Around 900 kids were sent off to Glen Cinema that afternoon to watch new cowboy movie The Dude Desperado, as their mums busied themselves with cleaning their homes from top to bottom and preparing for the New Year.
A burning reel of film led to panic that a fire had broken out – with plumes of black smoke entering the theatre.
This sent the youngsters into a terror-fuelled stampede. Scores fled downstairs at such speed that they piled up behind the exit door which led to Dyers Wynd – a door which was designed to open inwards.
Police, fire crews and hundreds of locals rushed to the cinema to help – but for many it was all too late.
The crush killed 69 children and injured 40; the final death toll was 71. The devastating irony was that the projectionist had managed to put out the small fire.
Many parents lost not one child, but two or three that day. Paisley Town Council set up a relief fund for injured children and grieving families which reached £5300. The authority offered them a week's trip to the seaside in West Kilbride.
The cinema’s manager, George Dorward, was tried for culpable homocide but was found not guilty of causing the children's deaths.
Safety regulations were tightened in the wake of the tragedy. Inspections of picture houses were made compulsory. The Cinematograph Act 1909 was also amended to ensure emergency exit doors opened outwards and were fitted with push bars.
Cinemas were also urged to curb their seating capacity to prevent overcrowding.
That dark chapter in Paisley's past is still honoured today – with annual wreath-laying ceremonies at the town Cenotaph on Hogmanay every year.
A memorial also stands at Hawkhead Cemetery, bearing the names of every victim whose life was tragically claimed in the disaster.
And at Paisley Museum, a small display showcases harrowing artefacts from the time. A pair of child's shoes. A boy's hat. A funeral receipt.
There, visitors can read heartwrenching letters from women in the US who were unable to keep their own children, offering them to the town's devastated families.
A furniture store stands today where the Glen Cinema was once housed. But few who walk past the shop could forget such a tragedy which has haunted the town for generations.
As we remember the children who never made it out alive, be sure to hug your loved ones that wee bit tighter this Christmas.
Find out more about the town's history on Paisley Online and Paisley.org.uk.
This article was originally published on 31/1/2018
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