Zeppelins attack Norfolk and Lincolnshire Nearly 100 years ago now, on the evening of January 19th 1915, the first successful raid was made by German Zeppelin airships. Lincolnshire and Norfolk’s towns and villages were bombed, including; Scunthorpe, Kings Lynn, Humberstone, Cleethorpes, Hunstanton and Brancaster. It may seem strange that our coastal towns were targeted. Perhaps larger cities, and furthermore the capital of London would be thought of as more desirable for the Germans. However, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany was related to the British royal family, and therefore he did not want to make attacks on London. However, later on in the First World War London was bombed extensively.
It’s easy to imagine the panic instilled by this ‘Silent Terror’ in a type of warfare as yet unknown. The raids began around 1914 and of course it started an era of danger and vulnerability for those far beyond enemy lines and areas of actual conflict.Early in 1916 three people lost their lives in an attack on Scunthorpe and a few weeks later 31 soldiers died in an air raid on Cleethorpes and Humberston.Even the tiny village of Cuxwold didn’t escape attack in 1917
The raid on this area was made by two Zeppelins, named the L3 and L4. They set off from Fuhlsbüttel, Germany, carrying 30 hours’ worth of fuel and 8 bombs. Orders were made to attack military and industrial buildings in North Lincolnshire, on the Humber. The Zeppelin’s capabilities would be tested, and Hull’s port would make a good target in this exercise.
Great Yarmouth was the very first town to be bombed in World War I. There are differing accounts of why the attack was made on Great Yarmouth’s harbour. One opinion is that the pilot of the L3 thought he was over the Humber, when he was in fact located over Great Yarmouth. Others think that Great Yarmouth’s harbour was attacked deliberately for strategic reasons. A third theory is that the Zeppelins had to change their route as a result of bad weather. This does perhaps seem the most plausible explanation.
Looking into this theory further, the Zeppelin’s were much larger compared to any other airplane or airship that had come before them. It is important to note that they had been designed just 15 years beforehand, by Count Zeppelin in 1900. They still had to undergo further development. There were issues with the steering, making them hard to navigate efficiently. This would explain the change of course for the L3 and L4 when they hit upon strong winds, which forced them to attack closer to home. The L3 advanced on Great Yarmouth, whilst the L4 headed for Kings Lynn.
In a BBC interview made on the 96th anniversary of the bombings, a local woman Florence Wortley-Waters (aged 102) gave her account of the bombings that she witnessed in Kings Lynn. She described the event as, ‘one big bang, one big crush’. She happened to be outside, returning with her mother and siblings from her Aunt’s house. It was a distressing experience for her, ‘it was frightening, very frightening for us as children’.
Four people were killed on the night of the 19th January 1915, and another 16 people were injured. The damage caused by the bombings came to £7,740. Today at Great Yarmouth a plaque bears the names of victims at the site of St Peter’s Plain. It includes the first person to be killed by aerial bombardment, Samuel Alfred Smith (aged 53) and the second person; Martha Taylor (aged 72). Martha Taylor’s great niece attended the unveiling of the plaque.
Engine trouble forced the commander of L22, Kapitänleutnant Martin Dietrich, to abandon London and to turn towards the Humber. He reached Mablethorpe at 0100 and then turned north, dropping 26 bombs on Humberstone at about 0130; he only damaged a farmhouse. L22 then dropped six high explosive bombs on Cleethorpes, killing 29 soldiers from the 3rd Manchesters who were billeted in a chapel, and wounding 53. After that, L22 crossed the coast at Spurn Head, where it was fired on by a paddle minesweeper moored in the Humber.
The L22 flight report tells you how many bombs etc was actually dropped over Cleethorpes and the type of bomb etc . A witness to this bombing raid remembers seeing the Zepplin over Cleethorpes and watched it drop its bombs. However the Zeppelin released its cargo to gain height due to be fired upon by Waltham barrage of guns.
One bomb hit a chapel in which soldiers were billeted, it was infact a chance hit as the German did not know theywere there. Whilst on the subject of Zeppelin raids a Zepplin bombed Scunthorpe and one of its victims was the Scunthorpe United goalkeeper
Aircraft from here were pressed into Zeppelin intercepts during Sep 1914 raids on Lincolnshire. Zeppelin raids caused a public outcry as they were attacks far behind the traditional conflict zone of oppposing front lines. Some damage was caused in Lincolnshire and aircraft were scrambled from both RNAS and RFC aerodromes in response to the threat, from RNAS Killingholme and Cranwell and RFC Home Defence Squadrons from Leadenham, Scampton, Kirton in Lindsey, Gainsborough, Elsham Wolds and Tydd St Mary.
In Jan 1916 three civilians died in Scunthorpe as the result of a Zeppelin bombing raid. A few weeks later an attack on Humberston and Cleethorpes resulted in the death of 31 soldiers. In this raid it transpired that it had not been possible to contact the fighter aircraft at Cranwell because the phonelines were down
Failure to prevent the Zeppelin bombing raids led to the RFC being given responsibility for home air defence in Feb 1916. Three squadrons given the responsibility for Home Defence were based in Lincolnshire. 33 Sqn RFC was the first Sqn to be formed in Lincolnshire to counter the Zeppelin Raids on the Midlands over north Lincolnshire in 1915/16.
The Zeppelins are not seen as being a military success. One reason being their flammerability. Winston Churchill’s describes Zeppelins as being, ‘enormous bladders of combustible and explosive gas’. They also had a lack of efficient steering. However, they still created fear and effected people psychologically, concerning British people as a whole, especially with the attacks on London. It is fascinating to think that towns in Lincolnshire and Norfolk were the first to be bombed by the Zeppelin airship.
Lincolnshire man witness ride on the Spitfires Tail
Another incidents of ground crew unexpectedly riding on the tails of Spitfires was reported by Ray Johnson in Lincolnshire.
He joined 152 Squadron (Spitfires) at Acklington in January 1940 as an armourer AC1 and stayed with the Squadron throughout the rest of WWII reaching Sergeant in September 1944 in Burma.
At Acklington, No. 72 Squadron C.O. Sqn Ldr Ronnie Lees joined us. This was a very bad winter weather-wise, heavy snow and blizzards. 152 had become operational on Spit’s in January but we were forced to continue op’s on our remaining Gladiators until about March. But the grass airfield was still very tacky and ground crews sat on the tails whilst taxiing, banging the fuselage with their hands to signify them leaving. One day at this time a 72 Sqn Spit’ took off still with a ground crewman on the tail, did a circuit and completed a good landing with no injury to the passenger. This incident reached the national newspapers, but not through the official channels, much to the stationmaster’s anger.
No. 152 soon went overseas in October 1942 to North Africa, ‘Operation Torch’ and was operating from Souk-El-Arba airstrip in Tunisia along with 72 and 111 Sqns Ronnie Lees was now commanding the Wing. 72 and 152 were airborne on an operation and I was one of two or three left at dispersal whilst the rest went for a meal and a wash and brush-up. A Spitfire took off (conditions were very bad, like Acklington 1940), and I saw the airborne Spit’ behaving very erratically. I realised that someone was on the tail and rang Aerodrome Control from 152’s tent and told them. I was told to hang on and he presumably looked outside; he came back and said “Bloody Hell, you’re right!” or words to that effect. The Spitfire did a wheels-up landing and the passenger broke an ankle.
In November 1944, by which time 152 was the first squadron to re-enter Burma, a replacement pilot joined us, Ken Plumridge who had been with 111 at Souk-El-Arba. Many years after the war Ken confirmed to me that the pilot in North Africa with the tail-passenger was Tommy Tinsey, and much later I discovered the passengers name was L.A.C. Donaghue.
I suppose witnessing this twice could be something of a record!
Born in Wainfleet on 19 Sep 1911 married Elsie Jane Sharp and had a child. He passed away on 27 Jul 1944 in France.