Largely forgotten today, the World War 1 Zeppelin raids on Britain were a terrifying experience for civilians and a foretaste of what was to come in the Blitz attacks on British cities in World War 2.
These huge airships often flew at a higher altitude than could be reached by defending aircraft or anti-aircraft fire, and carried a significant bomb-load, There were 20 raids in 1915 in which 37 tons of bombs were dropped killing 181 and injuring another 455 people. Fortunately they were seriously affected by adverse weather and experienced serious night flying navigation problems - bombs were often dropped miles off target and their military value was negligible.
However their affects on civilian morale were dramatic and the casualties made the Zeppelins an object of deep hatred and fear. In over 50 strategic bombing raids 557 people were killed and another 1,358 injured. More than 5,000 bombs were dropped on towns across Britain, causing £1.5 million in damage. 84 airships took part, of these 30 were lost, either shot down by British aircraft using improved munitions, such as incendiary bullets, or lost in accident.
This plaque marks just one of the many places in London where bombs fell. To find out more follow the URL portals below:
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