Walsall and surrounding areas Zeppelin attack

[Guest Megan_H]

Hi I'm Megan and I'm currently at university one of my modules is studying the First World War, and my question relates to how the experience of my area/region can provide an insight into the experience of war. I am from Walsall and I would like to examine the effects that World War One had upon my town, and I am aware that there was a Zeppelin attack during the First World War though I'm not really too sure where I can find out information on this for my essay! I know Walsall Local History Centre has some items that will probably be of use but I'm not sure where to start! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[Tom Morgan]

Hi, Megan - welcome to the forum. the Zeppelins (there were two) which attacked Walsall had bombed Wednesbury and Tipton shortly before.

For an account of the raid, including some references to Walsall, Click Here.

Tom

[Alan Tucker]

First stop should be the Walsall Local History centre and its catalogue. For example there is a decent account in the Peace Celebrations 1919 brochure on the open shelves.

[John(txic)]

My Grandmother watched it!

[Chris_Baker]

Variant on usual local theme: did they put the pig on the wall to watch the Zeppelin go by?

[Chucka]

There is a nightclub by the war memorial in Walsall and if you look up about 20ft you will see a big piece of the wall gouged out by a piece of shrapnel when a bomb dropped from the Zepellin exploded close to it, I believe the Mayors wife was killed in the blast.

[John(txic)]

Variant on usual local theme: did they put the pig on the wall to watch the Zeppelin go by?

Pigs were put on the wall in Gornal, and the German's didn't bomb Gornal: though that's where my Gran watched it from! (Upper Gornal, that is.)

[Chris_Baker]

Megan, although it is obviously not as Walsall-centric as the ideas above, you might also try the Birmingham newspapers. All archived at Birmingham Central Library.

[rob elliott]

Megan,

Not sure if you are familier with a weekly history newspaper the 'Black Country Bugle'.

This has had articles previously about this subject.

If you go into any Walsall local newsagent you can get a copy.

Write to them and see what they have.

They may also publish a letter for you asking for info.

Sure i read somewhere that they dropped a bomb on Darlaston too.

Think in the 1930's a Zeppelin flew over the Black Country again.

Bet them Gornalites pointed the way to Tipton for the Zep that dropped the bombs.

Rob

[ZeppRaider]

There is a nightclub by the war memorial in Walsall and if you look up about 20ft you will see a big piece of the wall gouged out by a piece of shrapnel when a bomb dropped from the Zepellin exploded close to it, I believe the Mayors wife was killed in the blast.

Ironically, Mrs Mary Slater, the Mayoress, was part-German on her mother's side.

If you can get hold of a copy of "The Baby Killers" German Air Raids on Britain in the First World War by Thomas Fegan (Pen & Sword Books 2002), page 126 has the above snippet and other information concerning the raid by L21 on 31 Jan/1 Feb 1916.

David

[Dolphin]

Megan

You might like to look at Cole & Cheesman's The Air Defence of Britain 1914-1918 and Zeppelin! by Ray Rimell. They don't include much on the particular raid that you're interested in, but there's a lot of good background information on the German airship raiding campaign.

Regards

Gareth

[21459]

There is a nightclub by the war memorial in Walsall and if you look up about 20ft you will see a big piece of the wall gouged out by a piece of shrapnel when a bomb dropped from the Zepellin exploded close to it, I believe the Mayors wife was killed in the blast.

At the risk of being pedantic, Mrs Slater died a few weeks later from blood poisoning caused by the blast and debris, including some of the horsehair stuffing from the tram seat, being forced into her wounds.

Walsall Archives have quite a bit of info on the raid. You could also check out their photo site for the bombed Church in Wednesbury Road.

http://www.aclickintime.co.uk/terms.html

[Jim_Grundy]

Megan

Looks like you've been given some really good leads here already. If you want to know more in the way of background to the impact the Great War had upon British society, I would recommend that you take a look one or more of three excellent books on the subject:

"The Deluge. British Society and the First World War", Arthur Marwick, Pelican, 1967;

"The Myriad Faces of War", Trevor Wilson, Polity Press, 1998; and

"Blighty: British Society in the Era of the Great War", Gerard J. DeGroot, Longman, 1996.

There are, of course, lots of others but these three are the ones I've found to be most useful. All include information about air raids as well.

Good luck with you research.

Regards,

Jim

[Theo]

Pigs were put on the wall in Gornal, and the German's didn't bomb Gornal: though that's where my Gran watched it from! (Upper Gornal, that is.)

What's the story about pigs being put on the wall in Gornal? My family is from there and I've heard there used to be a pub in Gornal called 'The Pig on the Wall'. Anyone shed any light on this?

[Doug Lewis]

Theo

This site will explain it better than I can.

http://www.sedgleymanor.com/historical/pig_on_the_wall.html

Regards Doug

[John(txic)]

Same as Doug.

BTW - I live about 400yds up the bonk!

[Theo]

Same as Doug.

BTW - I live about 400yds up the bonk!

Thanks very much to both of you for that. I'll show the family.

[Guest Megan_H]

I haven't managed to get on here for a while and I'm pretty astounded at the replies to this topic! Thank you so much all of what people have said has been really helpful! I have visited the archives at the Local History Centre and managed to get a few useful things, I even bought a book, but I'm definitely visiting again so I will follow up some of the things that people have suggested. Thanks again for all of your help I've got loads of points to follow up!

Megan

[21459]

For a few years now I have been researching into the Black Country 'Zep' attacks. The idea was to get an illustrated talk together for the 90th anniversary. Oops! Maybe the centenary!

A few years ago I checked on the coroners reports for the (Walsall) deaths caused by 31st January 1916 attack. Can't remember the full details (info in the loft) but they were 'interesting' to say the least. A few killed by the blast or flying debris but there were a couple that were tenuous to say the least. One I remember was an old guy who had been bed-ridden for a number of years who fell, or was thrown, forgotten which, out of bed. His death is recorded as ' due to enemy action'. But his address is about half a mile from the nearest blast. They were not that powerful.

Could this just be to add another victim to the 'evil Hun' stories or was there some form of compensation if you died through enemy action?

[dave pearce]

In one of the books "Tipton in old Photographs, there are a few pictures of bomb damaged houses after the Zepplin Raid. Indeed the house that I was born in, many years later may I add" was one of them

What's the story about pigs being put on the wall in Gornal? My family is from there and I've heard there used to be a pub in Gornal called 'The Pig on the Wall'. Anyone shed any light on this?

They put a pig on the wall in Gornal to watch the band go by

[dave pearce]

On the website www.blackcountryhistory.net search zeppelin, and there are a few pictures of the raid

[matthew lucas]

quite a bit about this in the 'black countryat war' exhibition a few years ago in dudley, still some evidence of bomb damage on a church in Dudley, just off the hight street, used to point it out to others on the war studies degree

matt

[Sue S]

Hi Megan, there is a book which was published by Walsall Local History Centre called 'Walsall At War'. I believe that it costs around £2. Good luck with your research

[ChrisM]

Megan - You've probably long since written it up, submitted it, had it torn to pieces and then forgotten all about it, but it takes me a long time to find things in the loft.

Chris