Vehicle    From 1900 

Zeppelin airships

Categories: Armed Forces, Aviation

Invented by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in 1900. London was first targeted with airships in May 1915 and initially found defence very difficult. Searchlights and incendiary ammunition helped to defeat the Zeppelins and the last raid was in August 1918. Londonist has a great post about the Zeppelin raids over London, with a map! And Flickering Lamps has a good post on airships over London in war and peace.

But to get a really good idea of how they were used (the bombs, the water ballast, the observer basket) you have to see the 1930 film Hell's Angels. Forget the plot and the acting, just watch the stunning aerial scenes. Howard Hughes produced it so money was no object.

2018: Londonist have a post about the first Zeppelin raid on London, 31 May 1915, with maps showing the damage sites.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Zeppelin airships

Commemorated ati

Camberwell WW1 victims - Chumleigh Gardens

This memorial commemorates all 22 Camberwell citizens killed in WW1. We don't...

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First Zeppelin bomb of WW1, correct - 1

First bomb of World War One, dropped on London by Zeppelin LZ 38 fell on this...

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First Zeppelin bomb of WW1, correct - 2

First bomb of World War One, to be dropped on London by Zeppelin LZ38, fell o...

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First Zeppelin bomb of WW1 - incorrect

This plaque was, according to the Council, a mistake and was removed by Hackney.

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Zeppelin

We are familiar with the "pensioner crosses road" syndrome in local newspaper...

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Show all 7

Other Subjects

George William Bates

George William Bates

Resident of Willesden who volunteered and died in the Anglo Boer War, 1899-1900.

Person, Armed Forces, South Africa

War dead, Other war
1 memorial
Able Seaman Thomas William Richard Henry Haskell

Able Seaman Thomas William Richard Henry Haskell

Thomas William Richard Henry Haskell was born on 1 February 1901 the second of the seven children of Thomas Henry Haskell (1879-1949) and Alice Maud Mary Haskell née Vidler (1873-1946). His birth w...

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
H. C. E. Freeman

H. C. E. Freeman

Co-partner or employee of the South Suburban Gas Company. Served but did not die in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
8th Volunteer, The Queen's Fusiliers

8th Volunteer, The Queen's Fusiliers

The battalion is unique, in that although officially part of The Queens Regiment (the 8th Territorial Battalion), it contains rifle companies that were part of either the Queen’s Regiment or the Ro...

Group, Armed Forces

1 memorial
G. Evans

G. Evans

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial

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Achilles statue

Achilles statue

W1, Hyde Park

Modelled on the statue of Dioscuri in Rome. A gay friend of ours is fond of quoting Larry Olivier on this statue: "the best arse in Lond...

3 subjects commemorated, 3 creators
Huguenot fan makers

Huguenot fan makers

EC1, Fann Street, 70, Jewin Welsh Church

This plaque may correctly show where fan makers settled but their Hall was some distance away - see the blue plaque.

2 subjects commemorated
Michael Collins

Michael Collins

Irish nationalist and politician. Born Woodfield, County Cork. He moved to London in 1906 with his sister, spending over nine years there. An activist in the Sinn Féin movement, he was imprisoned i...

Person, Nationalism, Politics & Administration, Ireland

1 memorial