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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Other Subjects

P. Stringfellow

P. Stringfellow

Resident of Hendon who served and died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
Lieutenant Commander James Dawbarn Young, R.N.V.R.

Lieutenant Commander James Dawbarn Young, R.N.V.R.

Qualified as surveyor and then as a lawyer.  Public spirited and worked with the Claremont Central Mission (we think this was a nationwide religious charitable organisation working with young peopl...

Person, Armed Forces, Law, Property, Belgium

War dead, WW1
3 memorials
R. Dobson

R. Dobson

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Insp.-Gen. Belgrave Ninnis, CVO, MD, FSA, RN

Insp.-Gen. Belgrave Ninnis, CVO, MD, FSA, RN

Chief Commissioner in the St John Ambulance Brigade, No. 1 District Metropolitan Corps, 1898-1911. Knight Justice in the Order of St John. Inspector-General Belgrave Ninnis was a Royal Navy surgeo...

Person, Armed Forces, Emergency Services, Exploring, Medicine

1 memorial
Alfred Joseph Richards VC

Alfred Joseph Richards VC

Soldier,. born in Plymouth. He was a sergeant in the 1st Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers. On 25th April at Gallipoli, Turkey, soldiers landing on the beach faced fire from hidden machine guns c...

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial

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Worship Street workshops

Worship Street workshops

EC2, Worship Street , 91-101

At the right hand end of the terrace there is a delightful and very unusual water fountain arrangement. 2018: The Telegraph included thi...

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
I. Ellis

I. Ellis

Church warden of St Dunstans Stepney, 1999.

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit

Author and poet. Wrote approximately 40 books for children including 'The Railway Children'. Born at 38 Lower Kensington Lane. She married the journalist and politician, Hubert Bland in 1880, but u...

Person, Literature, Poetry

2 memorials
Davis & Emanuel

Davis & Emanuel

Architects active in 1882 and 1895.

Group, Architecture

2 memorials
St Mary Abbots Mission Hall

St Mary Abbots Mission Hall

W8, St Alban's Grove, 21, Leith's

Designed by architect T. Phillips Figgis.

4 creators