Zepplin Raid - Purley

[Neil Mackenzie]

In 'Letters from a Lost Generation', Edward Brittain writing to Vera refers to a Zepplin dropping 4 bombs on Purley 'somewhere up that hill where we walked one afternoon'.

Does anyone have any info on this raid and in particular which road/s the bombs landed in? The editors of the book note that the raid was on 23 October but as the letter in which it is mentioned was written on 5 October this is obviously an error.

I cannot believe that Purley was the prime target for the raid given that there is nothing of interest here (except my flat of course!).

The Brittains presumably had a house in Purley - again does anyone know the address?

Many thanks.

Neil

[vervos]

In 'Letters from a Lost Generation', Edward Brittain writing to Vera refers to a Zepplin dropping 4 bombs on Purley 'somewhere up that hill where we walked one afternoon'.

Does anyone have any info on this raid and in particular which road/s the bombs landed in? The editors of the book note that the raid was on 23 October but as the letter in which it is mentioned was written on 5 October this is obviously an error.

I cannot believe that Purley was the prime target for the raid given that there is nothing of interest here (except my flat of course!).

The Brittains presumably had a house in Purley - again does anyone know the address?

Many thanks.

Neil

Neil,

Sorry, I know nothing of the Zepp raid, but relations of the Brittains lived in Purley. I think it may have been EB's mother's sister. If I can locate my copy of Testament of Youth, I'll investigate any further mention of this.

Cheers, Vervos

[vervos]

Neil,

Sorry, I know nothing of the Zepp raid, but relations of the Brittains lived in Purley. I think it may have been EB's mother's sister. If I can locate my copy of Testament of Youth, I'll investigate any further mention of this.

Cheers, Vervos

It seems to have been EB's maternal grandmother, who lived in a small house in Purley. (No mention of the address) Vera and Edward were keen walkers, so would have escaped from the house to walk locally.

Vervos

[Terry Denham]

This is from the London Borough of Croydon website....

Nearly a year later, on 23rd September 1916, another major raid took place, and this time Commander Mathy's L31 airship, while passing over Purley, dropped four 128lb test bombs, before moving on to bomb Mitcham, Streatham, Brixton, Kennington and Leyton. They exploded in a straight line across Downscourt Road and Hall Way - three in peoples' gardens and one on the road. Structural damage was therefore relatively slight but one eighteen-year old woman was injured and an elderly lady was treated for shock.

[Neil Mackenzie]

Terry & Vervos.

Many thanks for your replies - Downs Court Road is just around the corner from me. I will see if Croydon library has any more on this.

Edward Brittain mentions in his letter that "A foolish woman came out into the road and therefore received some shrapnel in one eye from one of our own guns".

Thanks again.

Neil

[Terry Denham]

I was in Downs Court Road myself less than 24 hours ago!

[Ladon]

Have nothing to add relating to the 23rd but Commander Mathy's L31 airship was shot down a couple of weeks later. The attached link provides some detail.

Decisions at Potters Bar

Regards

[Neil Mackenzie]

Ladon - many thanks for the link, very interesting.

Terry - what brings you to one of the black holes of suburbia?

Neil

[PBI]

Did Carshalton ever get bombed ???

[Grovetown]

Did Carshalton ever get bombed ???

Well, Westcroft gives that impression on occasion.

As for the Purley raid, I am surprised to see that it is not mentioned at all in Croydon and the Great War. In fact, the book doesn't give any detail, for some strange reason, on any of the Zepp raids on the town.

Best wishes,

Grovetown.

[Neil Mackenzie]

There is an earlier reference in 'Letters from a Lost Generation' where Vera writing on 16 October 1915 refers to a Zepplin raid that demolishes a lot of East Croydon. The Croydon Council site referred to by Terry in his earlier post mentions that:-

"Croydon's turn came on the night of 13th October 1915 when Zeppelin L14, under Commander B?r, scattered bombs across the town, causing a fair amount of damage to Edridge Road, Beech House Road, Oval Road (where the school was hit), Chatsworth Road, Morland Road and Stretton Road. Nine people were killed and fifteen injured. It is unlikely that Croydon was chosen as the target for the raid - it appears that the Zeppelin was on its way to London, but got a little lost."

The school referred to would be Oval Primary School in Cherry Orchard Road.

Again, would anyone know which Zepplin was involved in this raid, from the tone of Vera's letter it sounds as if more than one Zepplin was involved in the raid.