Chris Noble Posted 12 November , 2004 Share Posted 12 November , 2004 Evening. Discussing the recent postings on the Forum with a colleague at work regarding Zeppelins, he sent me this photograph of a memorial. He believes it was taken in Suffolk? Any information on the memorial, Zeppelin, much appreciated. Regards, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 12 November , 2004 Share Posted 12 November , 2004 Chris In 1917 there were air raids over East Anglia by Zeppelins. Halesworth locals saw red lights in the sky on the horizon. Some cycled down the London Road towards Theberton where a Zeppelin had been brought down by a lone pilot. The pilot had heard a Zeppelin flying in low, clearly intent on a bombing raid. He jumped into his plane still wearing his pyjamas and flew above the Zeppelin throwing down grenades. Sixteen bodies were pulled out of the wreckage and one survivor was handed to the police. There is a memorial in Theberton Churchyard to those who died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 12 November , 2004 Share Posted 12 November , 2004 It is by St Peter's church, Theberton. The crew were buried here. They were taken to Cannock Chase after WW2. Three of the crew survived: Meith, Ellerkam and Uecker, though the latter died of influenza on armistice day. This was incredible as the airship was set ablaze at 14,000 feet, by Lt LP Watkins, and the survivors survived a free-fall flight with relatively minor injuries (the rest of the crew jumped to escape the raging inferno). There are some framed parts of the airship in the church. See http://www.suffolkcam.co.uk/theberton15032003.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 12 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 12 November , 2004 Many thanks for the information, i'll pass it on. I think my mate holidays down there bird watching, quite a contrast Thanks, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 12 November , 2004 Share Posted 12 November , 2004 I have no idea where the grenade story came from, but.... The photo you have shown is interesting. I am in contact with the owner of that photo as I don't believe it has been published before, and I would like a copy. It was taken from the hedgerow behind Holly Tree Farm (not the same building as listed in the O/S map today). Oh yes, I forgot about the biblical quote. The vicar was having a 'dig' at those who said that German aviators should not be buried in consecrated ground in their village. This harks back to the Potters Bar burials, where some of the crowd threw eggs and insults at the funeral party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Noble Posted 12 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 12 November , 2004 Hi. Does he own a Bed and Breakfast establishment at the farm? I dont know if the guy i work with actually 'shot' the picture, or it was sent to him by the proprietor via e-mail. Regards, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 12 November , 2004 Share Posted 12 November , 2004 Sorry if I have caused confusion. I was referring to the black and white photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 12 November , 2004 Share Posted 12 November , 2004 There are also bits of the airship in the museum at Southwold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Captain Pikey Posted 13 November , 2004 Share Posted 13 November , 2004 Hi Chris, I thought that I would add my pennies worth concerning the photograph. An excellent book for research on the photo would be Zeppelin! by R. Rimell. It is full of photographs of the Zeppelin L48 and contains further information concerning the burial of the crew. It may be worth you or your colleague trying to obtain it from the library. Unfortunately, my scanner needs urgent medical attention otherwise I would have braved the internet police and copied the sections for you. It is well worth a read! Not related to L48, but would you like a free copy of "Zeppelins over Bury", a small booklet that will further your knowledge of the Zeppelins Take care, Kind regards Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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