Zeppelin Blitz

by Neil Storey

  The next bombs to fall were two grenades at 102 Shakespeare Road. One struck the coping of the house and another fell on the front steps. Considerable damage was done to no. 102 and the adjoining houses. Three more incendiary bombs were thrown into Barrett’s Grove, Arundel Grove and St Matthias’ Road, Stoke Newington, but no damage was caused.

  Two HE grenades were dropped on Woodville Grove. These fell into gardens and did not explode. They were followed by three incendiaries and an HE grenade dropped in Mildmay Road, which caused very slight damage. From this point onwards to the Shoreditch Empire Music Hall no grenades were thrown. More incendiaries fell in Queen Margaret’s Grove and King Henry’s Walk without doing any damage; two, however, caused a fire in Ball’s Pond Road in which two people were burnt to death, and a man and four women injured.

  Incendiary bombs were dropped all the way down Southgate Road at close intervals, but fortunately they all fell into gardens or onto roadways and caused no damage. After crossing at Regent’s Canal, an incendiary bomb was dropped at 6 Witham Street but only caused a slight fire, which was extinguished by the occupier.

  The airship now veered more to the south-east, and dropped several incendiary bombs, causing only slight damage, until at 28 Hemsworth Street, Hoxton, where the premises were gutted, as were those at 31 Ivy Lance, Hoxton, where an incendiary bomb caused severe damage by fire and slightly injured a child. The next bomb, dropped at Bacchus Walk, Hoxton, destroyed the premises, and hit and seriously injured a soldier. Between this point and the Shoreditch Empire, three more incendiary bombs were dropped without causing any serious damage, two of them falling onto stone pavements.

  Subsequently, four incendiary bombs were dropped together, three falling on the Shoreditch Empire Music Hall and the other on the house next door; the damage in both cases was slight. A grenade was also thrown at this point, and this fell onto the pavement in front of the music hall without causing any casualties. The audience was in the building at the time, and any tendency to panic was averted by the promptitude of the manager in addressing the audience from the stage.

  The next bomb was an incendiary, and fell on the premises of Hopkins & Figg’s, drapers of Shoreditch, without causing any serious damage. There were about thirty female assistants sleeping on the premises and the consequences might have been very serious had the bomb set the building on fire.

  Three incendiary bombs fell on Bishopsgate Street Goods Station, but the fires were promptly extinguished by the men on duty. Two incendiaries and one HE grenade fell into Pearl Street, Shoreditch, but did no great damage. These were followed by three incendiary bombs in Princelet Street, and an HE grenade in Fashion Street, none of which caused any serious damage.

  Altogether, four men (including two soldiers), two women and two children were injured in Hoxton and Shoreditch. Fortunately there were no fatalities.

  The airship then passed over Whitechapel. Incendiary bombs which fell on Osborn Street, Whitechapel and near Whitechapel Church did no damage. A HE grenade fell into a large tank of water at the whisky distillery of Johnnie Walker & Sons, Whitechapel, followed by three incendiaries in Commercial Road East, none doing any harm.

  LZ-38 began to turn due north-east and, at the same time, dropped seven HE grenades in close succession. The first of these fell in a yard at 13a Berners Street, injuring a horse, followed by two on the same spot in Christian Street, Whitechapel. The casualties here were severe, as two children were killed, with five people seriously hurt and five slightly injured.

  Another HE grenade fell in Burslem Street, St George’s, but failed to explode; followed by another in Jamaica Street and another in East Arbour Street, with similar results. The next bomb was also a grenade that fell on Charles Street, Stepney, but only broke some glass. The next two bombs were incendiaries at 130 Duckett Street and 16 Ben Jonson Road, Stepney, and these caused slight fires in both instances. They were closely followed by a grenade, which also fell on Ben Jonson Road, but caused no damage.

  It is worthy of note that the commander of LZ-38 made no attempt to attack the docks which, at this point in the raid, lay only about 1 mile away from him to starboard.

  A relatively large distance of 3 miles now elapsed before the next bombs were thrown. The fact that the airship was passing over the relatively thinly inhabited areas on each side of the River Lea could apparently be seen from the airship and, for this reason perhaps, no bombs were thrown hereabouts. The next bombs released were two incendiaries, which fell at Wingfield Road and Colgrave Road, West Ham, but did no damage. A grenade in Florence Street, Leytonstone, caused little harm, as did others which fell at Park Grove Road, Cranleigh Road, Dyer’s Hall Road and Fillebrook Road. The last bomb in Fillebrook Road, fell at about 11.35 p.m. The casualties at Leytonstone amounted to three people being slightly injured.

  The total number of bombs dropped in the Metropolitan Police area were:

  30 HE grenades at 5lb each = 150lb

  89 Incendiary bombs at 25lb each = 2,225lb

  This weight represents a total of 1 ton 1cwt and 23lb of bombs dropped on London.

  LZ-38 now went off east, passing Brentwood at 11.55 p.m. and was spotted between Burnham and Southminster at 12.30 a.m. Her commander clearly had some difficulty in fixing the locality of his point of departure – no doubt the mouth of the Crouch – and hesitated for a few moments just as he had outside London, before deciding his position with regard to the coast. The airship was fired upon by an AA gun at Southminster and the mobile guns of the RNAS at Burnham. LZ-38 went out to sea at the mouth of the Crouch about 12.40 a.m. The estimated monetary value of the damage caused by the raid was estimated at £18,596.

  The question of the height at which this airship was travelling was of some importance. At Shoeburyness her height was estimated at 7,500ft by the military authorities. The reports of the RNAS, however, speak of her as having passed near that place (probably on her return) at 10,000ft and, ‘at no part of its journey does it appear to have descended much below this elevation’.

  No action against the airship was taken by the AA guns in London, then controlled by the RNAS. The reason given for this inaction was the airship was so high that it was neither seen nor heard: ‘There is no authentic case of anyone having been able to see it during its passage over London … it was faintly heard by the gun-station at Clapton.’ This statement appears to be substantiated, but at the same time the accurate manner in which the airship followed the straight line of the Kingsland Road from Stoke Newington to Shoreditch, at a height of 10,000–11,000ft, even by moonlight, is remarkable.

  So great a height was not attained by any of the other airships, whether army or naval, which raided London later in the year. Their height was between 7,000 and 10,000ft during the raids of 7 and 8 September, until they had got rid of their bombs and were going off. On 13 October, however, the height of 12,000ft was attained by a naval airship, but it was not until autumn 1916 that this became the normal raiding height.

  One enterprising postcard manufacturer devised a card to help the population gauge the Zeppelins’ range:

  The ‘Coin of the Realm’ Zeppelin Range Finder –

  When the diameter of the following coins held at arm’s length subtends the Zeppelin broadside on:

  The range of the Zeppelin is:

  Threepence

  4 miles

  Sixpence or Half Sovereign

  3½ miles

  Sovereign

  2¾ miles

  Halfpenny

  2½ miles

  Half Crown

  2 miles

  Crown

  1/3-5 miles

  Penny and Farthing alongside

  1/1-5 miles

  In the aftermath of the first raids on London, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner issued the following advice published in leaflet form:

  POLICE WARNING

  WHAT TO DO WHEN THE ZEPPELINS COME

  Sir Edward Henry, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, has i
ssued a series of valuable instructions and suggestions as to the action that should be taken by the ordinary householder or resident in the event of an air raid over London.

  New Scotland Yard, S.W.

  In all probability if an air raid is made it will take place at a time when most people are in bed. The only intimation the public are likely to get will be the reports of the anti-aircraft guns or the noise of falling bombs.

  The public are advised not to go into the street, where they might be struck by falling missiles; moreover, the streets, being required for the passage of fire engines etc should not be obstructed by pedestrians. In many houses there are no facilities for procuring water on the upper floors. It is suggested, therefore, that a supply of water and sand might be kept there, so that any fire breaking out on a small scale can at once be dealt with. Everyone should know the position of the fire alarm post nearest to his house.

  All windows and doors on the lower floor should be closed to prevent the admission of noxious gases. An indication that poison gas is being used will be that a peculiar and irritating smell may be noticed following on the dropping of the bomb.

  Many inquiries have been made as to the best respirator. To this question there really is no satisfactory answer, as until the specific poison used is known an antidote cannot be indicated. There are many forms of respirator on the market, for which special advantages are claimed, but the Commissioner is advised by competent experts that in all probability a pad of cotton waste contained in a gauze to tie round the head and saturated with a strong solution of washing soda would be effective as as filtering medium for noxious gases, and could be improvised at home at trifling cost. It should be damped when required for use and must be large enough to protect the nose as well as the mouth, the gauze being so adjusted as to protect the eyes.

  Gas should not be turned off at the meter at night, as this practice involves a risk of subsequent fire and of explosion from burners left on when the meter was shut off. This risk outweighs any advantage that might accrue from the gas being shut off at the time of a night raid by aircraft. People purchasing portable chemical fire extinguishers should require a written guarantee that they comply with the specifications of the Board of Trade, Officer of works, Metropolitan police or some Fire Prevention Committee.

  No bomb of any description should be handled unless it has shown itself to be of incendiary type. In this case it may be possible to remove it without undue risk. In all other cases a bomb should be left alone and the police informed.

  E.R. HENRY

  4/5 June 1915

  SL-3, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Fritz Boemack, was first reported 85 miles east of the Humber at 7.30 p.m. She came in very slowly, lying off the Yorkshire coast until dark, and it was not until 10.55 p.m. that she was off the coast at Ulrome. She then moved northwards to Fraisthorpe, after which she returned southwards to Ulrome at 11.20 p.m. where she made landfall at 11.45 p.m. She proceeded out to sea again, her commander being apparently uncertain of his position, and slowly followed the coast northward until she made Flamborough Head.

  This landmark appears to have been recognised, since at 12.30 a.m. when 1 mile north of the head, the Zeppelin came overland again and went inland south-west, dropping an incendiary bomb between the villages of Kilham and Langtoft, which did no damage.

  SL-3 carried on south-west to Driffield where, after hovering for a time, at 1.05 a.m. she dropped two HE bombs, one in a field and the other in a garden, both only causing minor damage.

  She attempted to turn southward to Hull but, probably owing to a ground mist rendering visibility difficult, her commander gave up and turned back, passing Fraisthorpe again at 1.10 a.m. and Bridlington at 1.15 a.m., going north. Ten minutes later, the Zeppelin fled seaward at Flamborough Head under rifle fire from the coastguard.

  The raider flew very low. She was clearly seen along the coast between Ulrome and Bridlington. At Flamborough, when going out to sea, she was claimed to have been only about 1,000ft up. This low altitude clearly marks the raid as, in fact, a reconnaissance – the first visit of a Zeppelin to that part of the coast, which would afterwards become so well known to the German airship commanders.

  L-10, under Kapitänleutnant Klaus Hirsch, was sighted between 9.35 and 9.55 p.m., south of the Sunk lightship, by four armed trawlers Resono, Lord Roberts, Cygne and Zephyr – the latter opened fire on the Zeppelin. At 10.45 p.m., she was between Gunfleet and Foulness, going south-west towards Shoeburyness. At 11 p.m. she passed over Sheerness and turned south-east over Sheppey to Whitstable where, at 11.10 p.m., she turned again north-west, circling in the direction of Faversham, over which she passed five minutes later, going north-east.

  Between 11.20 p.m. and 11.30 p.m. she was over Sittingbourne. L-10 circled twice over the town and camp, dropping three HE bombs and eight incendiaries. One house was burnt out, two others damaged, and a man and a woman injured.

  The raider then went off south-west towards Maidstone, and eventually turned towards Chatham where she was reported overhead and fire was opened on her at 11.45 p.m. One HE bomb was dropped in reply at Rainham, but there were no casualties.

  She went on westwards to Tilbury, where she was again fired upon at 11.57 p.m., here she hovered for half an hour, which was no doubt utilised in careful observation, the Zeppelin making two circuits of figures of eight.

  Meanwhile, at 12.25 a.m. she dropped five HE and three incendiary bombs on Gravesend. The yacht club, which was being used as a military hospital for wounded was burnt, but all patients were safely removed to Chatham. Other considerable damage was done to property; two houses were demolished and a third badly damaged; a stable with four horses in it was also destroyed. Six people were injured (two men, three women and one child), none of them seriously.

  The Zeppelin then went off towards the north-east before the wind, passing Laindon at 12.45 a.m., Manningtree at 1.05 a.m., Holbrook at 1.10 a.m., Wherstead at 1.12 a.m., Ipswich at 1.15 a.m., Woodbridge at 1.20 a.m., north of Orford at 1.25 a.m., Aldeburgh about 1.28 a.m. and Leiston at 1.30 a.m., before going to sea near Dunwich at 1.35 a.m. She was last heard of leaving Southwold at 1.40 a.m. heading north-east.

  She had been lying low over Suffolk as if trying to get bearings on the coast, and was either seen or distinctly heard at all the places mentioned above.

  The total monetary value of the damage caused by the raid was estimated at £8,740.

  6/7 June 1915

  On the afternoon of 6 June 1915 two naval Zeppelins, L-9, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Mathy, and probably L-10 under Kapitänleutnant Hirsch, left their sheds in northern Germany to bomb England. The army airships LZ-37, LZ-38 and LZ-39 also rose from their sheds in Belgium, but only LZ-37, commanded by Oberleutnant van der Haegen, and LZ-39, commanded by Hauptmann Masius, came over the sea.

  LZ-38, under Hauptmann Linnarz, descended almost immediately. LZ-37 and LZ-39 were unable to find the English coast, probably owing to fog.

  On her return journey, LZ-37 was destroyed at 3 a.m. by Flight Sub Lieutenant Reginald Warneford, RNAS, over Mont St Amand, near Ghent; the crew were killed with the exception of one man who had a miraculous escape. The burning airship tragically fell onto a nunnery and two of the nuns were killed.

  LZ-39 returned safely to her shed, but LZ-38 was also destroyed, in an aeroplane attack on her shed at Evere, near Brussels at 2.30 a.m. the same morning.

  After Flight Sub Lieutenant Reginald Warneford successfully brought down LZ-37 on 7 June 1915, he was awarded the Victoria Cross and enjoyed great celebrity, even after his death in a tragic flying accident ten days later on 17 June 1915.

  L-9 and L-10 both reached the Norfolk coast at about 7.30 p.m., when L-10 had to abandon the raid and turn back after suffering engine trouble. Mathy, in L-9, which was clearly identified 12 miles north-east of Mundesley at 8.15 p.m., went on.

  At 8.40 p.m. the Zeppelin was reported from Cromer as going north out at sea. Five minutes later, she was steering south-west, 2 miles out. At
9.40 p.m. L-9 was 2 miles from the Lincolnshire coast, off Sutton-on-Sea, still steering north-west. Apparently, after reconnoitring the Norfolk coast, Mathy had given up the idea of raiding in that direction and determined on visiting the Humber instead.

  Arriving off the Lincolnshire coast, he employed the same reconnoitring tactics before deciding his course. At 9.50 p.m. he moved over the coast at Theddlethorpe, flying west, and at 10.10 p.m. was reported by HMS Thrasher patrolling off the Spurn. At 10.40 p.m. he was heard off the Yorkshire coast at Withernsea, where he dropped a flare, and five minutes later at Hornsea.

  There was a good deal of fog off the mouth of the Humber, and Mathy was evidently unwilling to try the approach to Hull by way of the river. He therefore went north along the coast instead, to Flamborough Head, which he found and identified at about 11.10 p.m. A flare was dropped at Bridlington.

  L-9 then turned and proceeded straight down towards Hull, passing south-west of Hornsea, and dropping two incendiary bombs which did no damage at Wyton Bar. She reached the neighbourhood of Hull and Sutton at about 11.35 p.m.

  Mathy reconnoitred in a south-easterly direction for ten minutes, evidently trying to fix his position. The river was enshrouded in a thick mist, which explains the time taken up in finding the exact position of the city. At this moment, however, the mist seems to have cleared from over Hull itself and, taking immediate advantage of the opportunity, L-9 bore directly down upon the city from the direction of Hedon, over which she passed. At 11.48 p.m., the first bombs were dropped.