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

J. W. Wragg

J. W. Wragg

Resident of Hendon who served and died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
J. McEnery

J. McEnery

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

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Job. Wheeler

Job. Wheeler

Resident of the West Ward, Hendon who served and died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
J. A. Carswell

J. A. Carswell

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

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Private John Lewis Lidstone

Private John Lewis Lidstone

Very little is known about John Lewis Lidstone. We know from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website that his parents were James and Maria Lidstone In the 1911 census he is shown as John ...

Person, Armed Forces, France

War dead, WW1
1 memorial

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The King's Road

It derives its name from the fact that It was King Charles II’s private road to Kew and wasn’t opened to the general public until 1830. Mary Quant opened her shop ‘Bazaar’ here in 1955. Along with ...

Place, Commerce, Craft / Design, Royalty, Transport

1 memorial
Upton Chapel, Barkham Terrace

Upton Chapel, Barkham Terrace

During the period 1785 -1862 a group of Particular Baptists used a house in what is now Burrell Street, SE11. They rebuilt it in 1801 and then in 1862 they had a new chapel built in Barkham Terrace...

Building, Religion

1 memorial
Tony Meehan

Tony Meehan

Drummer.  Born Daniel Joseph Anthony Meehan at the New End Hospital, Hampstead. He was one of the original line-up of Cliff Richard's backing group, The Shadows. He left the group in 1961 and event...

Person, Education, Music / songs

1 memorial