Recommend this book to anyone interested in war and london history.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Campaign-193-London-1914-17-Zeppelin/dp/1846032458
I find it astonishing the amount of people who have no idea that London was bombed in WW1 and think that bombing only happened during WW2.
Very interesting and very well illustrated also has maps that show where the bombs fell (notably a lot in the local area).
Also i recommend visiting the Dolphin Tavern, Lambs Conduit Passage near Holborn where a bomb fell in September 1915 just outside and blew the doors in and smashed a clock which has been kept to this day and reads 10.40pm (bomb actually hit at 10.49pm but through the years the hand has dropped to 10.40pm).
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leefe_Robinson
I think the VC he won is on display at the new VC and GC gallery at the Imperial War Museum.
Thanks for commenting on my discussion, thought it was going to be unread and unloved!
From what I've read it caused panic rather than much disruption or damage.
An eye-witness of the Leefe Robinson incident wrote:
One night, we watched a Zeppelin raid on the Woolwich Aresnal. The German Zeppelin was sort of hovering over the building dropping bombs and they scored a couple of direct hits, causing massive explosions. We felt the blast two to three miles away. A few small bi-planes of ours went up to attack it but the Zeppelin had heavy machine-guns mounted in the cabin slung beneath it and, being almost stationary, could take careful aim on a plane. So our brave airman stood no chance. But one little plane went up, one of those double wing ones with all the struts holding the wings together. Well, this pilot flew above the Zeppelin and dropped bombs onto it. One hit it square on - flames started to light up the night sky. She was on fire all right. Everyone in the street started to cheer.
My dad was watching through a small telescope he had and said he could see the men on the Zeppelin inside the cabin rushing about throwing ropes over the side, and other things, trying to lighten the ship. Anyway, its main engines started up with a roar and she slowly began to move away with smoke pouring out of her. Well, dad said they knew they were done for, but were going to try and make it home. As it pulled away it looked like a huge wounded animal and going to die. It crashed in flames over Essex before it made the Channel. I know they were our enemies but I couldn't feel sorry for them. That was the last of the Zeppelin raid. They proved too vulnerable.
The pilot of our small plane was a Lt. Robinson and he got the Victoria Cross for that, but the poor man was shot down and killed over France a year later by an ace German fighter-pilot.
Note: (Brookes was incorrect concerning his fate. Although he was shot down over France by a German ace (one of the Red Barons wing men) he survived the war and died in the massive flu outbreak just after the war ended.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWzeppelinraids.htm
Yes, Southeast London was certainly affected. Perhaps the best known raid that affected our part of London was on August 25th 1916, when the German 'Super Zeppelin' L-31 commanded by Leutnant Heinrich Mathy dropped 36 bombs in 10 minutes on West Ferry Road, Deptford, Greenwich, Blackheath Village, Eltham and Plumstead before returning back across the North Sea. The L-31 was damaged on landing and was out of action until 1st October 1916, when it made another raid. On this occasion however, their luck ran out and the airship was shot down over Cuffley, Herts by the splendidly named Lieutenant Tempest of the Royal Flying Corps. Mathy and all of his crew were killed and I believe are buried in the local churchyard there.
The bombs fell on the corner of Tranquil Vale in Blackheath Village (where the Photo Gallery is now located) and in Dickson Road in Eltham. I do have photos of these incidents but as they form part of my 'bread and butter' as it were, I'm a bit reluctant to post them.
If you come on one of my Blitz Walks (a shameless plug - the next Blackheath one is on Easter Sunday), I do explain the story of the German Airship and Gotha (large biplane bombers) raids of the Great War as well as The Blitz of WW2.
www.blitzwalkers.co.uk
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Interesting website....
That Charlton season ticket holder looks a bit shifty though. I would fancy walking the streets with him, especially if it was dark.
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Interesting website....[/quote]
That Charlton season ticket holder looks a bit shifty though. I would fancy walking the streets with him, especially if it was dark.[/quote]
Now you mention it his eyes do look a bit too close together...
I love you too Ash! Look forward to meeting up before the end of the season now that you're back in Blighty.
I was told years and years ago that a German plane had shot it up - but is that not the case then?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScHrK8lyLu0
Tom i'm interested in coming along for one of your "Blitz walks".
Some of the Park Keepers at Greenwich Park used to spin a yarn that it had been shot up by a German fighter that flew the length of the road and which was machine gunning everything. This is utter nonsense and an urban myth of the highest order. Bearing in mind that they had barrage balloons across the Heath to prevent this sort of low flying, it would have taken a brave or foolhardy pilot to pull off such a stunt. Neither is anything documented of this nature in the Civil Defence Incident Log, which if it had happened would have been recorded. The real answer is more boring but far more plausible. In October 1940, a High Explosive bomb detonated on the edge of the road about 150 yards to the east of the Royal Observatory. The 'Onion Dome' on the Observatory was severely damaged and the Wolfe Memorial was peppered with shrapnel. This incident is well documented in the Civil Defence incident log and there is a photograph (which I don't have sadly) of the Observatory in it's damaged state - The Greenwich Phantom has got a copy of this picture somewhere on his blog to illustrate an archive story of his.
The Timewatch programme was excellent and featured a chap called (Dave) Warren who is THE expert on the London Zeppelin raids. He does guided walks around parts of London affected by these raids and his knowledge of the subject is truly staggering.
You'd be more than welcome to come along on one of my walks - we do touch on WW1 where relevant but mainly concentrate on The Blitz. My next Greenwich/Blackheath walk is on Easter Sunday but Neil & I do other parts of London all the time, so best to follow the website or my Twitter page for details.
Cheers
Have to say, I'm a bit disappointed - the German fighter story is so much more appealling. I've already relayed it to my son and long may that particular urban myth continue.
Anyway, there's no actual proof that it isn't true - so yoi never know!
;o)
Apparently, bombing of the Bethnal Green offices by Zeppelins in WW1 became so regular that the owners looked for a new site 'out in the country' and chose the spot in Hertfordshire where they grew the blackcurrants which were used in the original throat lozenge product (Allenburys Pastilles). This was a field in Ware just along the River Lee from a storage area used by a timber importer by the name of Glikstein.
The present day, multi-billion dollar giant that is GSK may have a lot to thank Herr Zeppelin for.
Anyone know anything about the timber importers?