gryphon Posted 1 February , 2005 Share Posted 1 February , 2005 In conversation a friend from Loughborough said that he had heard that the first bomb dropped on the UK mainland in WW1 from a German airship fell on the A6 in the middle of Loughborough. I wonder if anyone can confirm this, or has any knowledge of whether Loughborough was the mission's intended target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 February , 2005 Share Posted 1 February , 2005 The first Zeppelin raid took place on 19th January 1915 (L3, L4 and L6) taking off from Fuhlsbuttel and Nordholz. L3 and L4 planned to attack the Humber whilst L6 targetted London. Bad weather made L3 and L4 veer off course over Norfolk and engine failure forced L6 back home without even reaching England. L3 caused the first casualties that night in Great Yarmouth (about 8.30pm) (2 dead , 3 injured). The L4 caused 2 deaths (from shock!) and 13 injured at Kings Lynn the same night. There was a famous raid on Loughborough (10 killed, 8 injured) by the L20, but this took place more than a year later on 31st January 1916. Maybe this is what your friend was referring to? Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryphon Posted 5 February , 2005 Author Share Posted 5 February , 2005 Thank you very much for that informative reply. The idea that Loughborough had been targeted for the very first raid did seem bizaare, but then truth is often stranger than fiction. I'm sure my friend will be interested and will pass the details on to him. It wasn't until very recently that I twigged that Zeppelins had actually seen action over UK, I'd always assumed that they were too cumbersome to be a practical offensive weapon. The more so as I assume they were filled with Hydrogen, like their civilian counterparts. Thanks once again for the info. Can you suggest a good book on the subject? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 5 February , 2005 Share Posted 5 February , 2005 Can you suggest a good book on the subject? Try "The Baby-Killers by Thomas Fegan, or "The First Blitz" by Andrew Hyde. The latter title concentrates on 1917-18. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted 6 February , 2005 Share Posted 6 February , 2005 (edited) I found this picture in an old book "The First World War" / Rickards and Moody (1975). As you can see, the souvenir is claimed to be from the first Zeppelin brought down at Cuffley, Essex. I wonder what this "souvenir" would be worth nowadays. Robbie PS. Sorry the pic is so big. I have just installed a new scanner and am learning the ropes. Edited 6 February , 2005 by robbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted 6 February , 2005 Share Posted 6 February , 2005 Can you suggest a good book on the subject? Gryphon You might like to look at some excellent books: Dr Douglas Robinson's The Zeppelin in Combat (ISBN 0 85429 130 X); Joseph Morris's German Air Raids on Britain 1914-1918 (ISBN 1 897632 16 9); Ray Rimmel's Zeppelin! (ISBN 0 85177 239 0); and Christopher Cole and E F Cheesman's The Air Defence of Great Britain 1914-1918 (ISBN 0 370 30538 80). Regards Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryphon Posted 17 February , 2005 Author Share Posted 17 February , 2005 Gareth Sorry I haven't been in touch before, I've been under the cosh to finish some decorating at home, and haven't had time for the finer things of life, like internet forums. Many thanks for your reccommendation, I will certainly look some of the se books up. Regards Gryphon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryphon Posted 17 February , 2005 Author Share Posted 17 February , 2005 I have just installed a new scanner and am learning the ropes. Thanks Robbie, Didn't you mean learning the wires? Hope your scanner is better than the ones our IT Dept seem to end up with - they seem to have a unique talent for choosing scanners with prize-winningly useless software. Do you think the wire was genuine? I'm sure there were plenty of spivs around, even in WW1. I suppose you could market test it on e-bay, you know "Genuine piece of Zeppelin, buyer collects with low-loader", that sort of thing. regards Gryphon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borden Battery Posted 24 February , 2005 Share Posted 24 February , 2005 Here is a "tidbit" reference in part of the transcribed War Diary of the Borden Motor Machine Gun Battery, Canadian Expeditionary Force of a Zepplin flying over their position in February 1916. ================================================= Thu., Feb 17, 1916 WESTOUTRE, BELGIUM Raining. About midnight Major HOLLAND [VC] and Lieut. BATTERSBY while making the rounds of the gun positions heard a ZEPPELIN flying South over our lines. ---signed P.A.G. MacCarthy, Capt. O.C. Fri., Feb 18, 1916 WESTOUTRE, BELGIUM Raining Several enemy aeroplanes crossed over our lines in the morning and were heavily shelled by our anti aircraft guns. ---signed P.A.G. MacCarthy, Capt. O.C. Sat., Feb 19, 1916 WESTOUTRE, BELGIUM Fine. More enemy planes over our lines and circled many times behind the lines. ---signed P.A.G. MacCarthy, Capt. O.C. ================================================= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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