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For King and Country: Blackmore During the First World War (Part 5): Air Raids

By Andrew Smith

Air War Over Essex During the First World War

When Frenchman Louis Bleriot made the first aeroplane flight across the English Channel in 1909 the science fiction novel ‘War From The Air’ written by H G Wells and published during the previous two years became a vague possibility.

In Britain to fly a contraption no more than a quarter of a mile at low altitude seemed absolutely spiffing for young gentlemen in the first decade of the twentieth century.

Early Aviation

Illustrative of aviation before the First World War was the attention given by the national and international press to the society wedding in June 1912 at Widford of Claude Grahame-White to Miss Dorothy Taylor, a New York heiress.

The reception was held at Hylands House. It was reported that the groom arrived by air and that one of his aviator friends flew over Widford Church dropping confetti following the ceremony. After the reception guests were treated to an impromptu flying display.

The Royal Flying Corp was formed in 1912 principally for the purpose of reconnaissance. Edward Petre became a test pilot. The Royal Naval Air Service was formed in 1914. Both were merged into the Royal Air Force in 1918, which celebrated its centenary this year with a flypast over Blackmore.

Edward Petre

Mrs E. E. Wilde added a paragraph about Edward Petre in her history of Ingatestone and Fryerning, published in 1913.

“In the new Cemetery lies Mr Edward Petre, whose tragic death on Christmas Eve, 1912, filled the neighbourhood with sorrow. Second son of Mr Sebastian Petre, he trained as an architect, but gave up his profession to devote himself to the new and enthralling pursuit of flying.

A daring yet careful pilot, he was recently engaged as an instructor at Brooklands, and had been testing new machines for the War Office. On Christmas Eve he was attempting a non-stop flight from Brooklands to Edinburgh, and left at 9.10am in SSE, wind of fifteen miles an hour.

The moderate breeze in which he started became a strong gale of sixty miles an hour in Yorkshire. In attempting to land, he passed over a field in which there were some children; at the peril of his own life he removed one hand from the control-wheel to signal to the children the danger they were in, and a fresh attempt to land in the next field was caught by a furious gust, which, lifting one wing, dashed the machine and its intrepid pilot to the ground, death being instantaneous.

He was greatly liked by all he came in contact with, and was beloved by his family and priest. R.I.P.”

Zeppelin Raids

During the First World War, for the first time, civilians were subjected to indiscriminate bombing from the air. The Zeppelins, the first aircraft used by the enemy, were referred to as ‘baby killers’ in the British press.

In all there were 53 separate raids on England, twenty in Essex, with London particularly targeted.

John Fleetwood, who retired to Blackmore in the late 1970s, was a six-year-old living in Walthamstow and remembered vividly the Zeppelins:

“A Zeppelin, sailing smoothly along up there in the sky, even though it was threatening death and destruction to those below, could be a beautiful sight.

One of the early ones came over Leyton and Walthamstow; we caught a glimpse of it before rushing indoors for cover; the searchlights caught it, and it looked just like a long slim silver cigar.

But the noise of its throbbing engines, as it drew nearer and nearer, was far from beautiful; to us, sitting under the stairs, or in our semi-basement kitchen, it sounded menacing and frightening”.

North Weald and the Development of the Air Service

Britain, on the back foot, had to respond quickly and across the county airfields were created.

Reeve wrote on 22nd July 1916:

“A large shed for aeroplanes is being constructed at North Weald. It is the intention of the authorities to establish a permanent Flying School there. We may expect frequent visits of the aeroplanes circling around Stondon on their trial-trips.

They cover 120 miles in the hour and can go to Hounslow from North Weald and return in about 15 minutes.

Nothing has been more marvellous during this unprecedented war than the rapid development of the air-service, and it is clear that Britain is to challenge the world in the new element.”

James Woollard

Woollard Way in Blackmore is named after Jim Woollard who died aged 67 in 1962 having served as a Rural District Councillor.

Tonight we remember him as an airman during the War and in the fledgling Royal Air Force where he was still serving in 1922 when his second daughter, Joy Kathleen, was baptised. His profession was flight sergeant.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in May 1918.

Mary Coller recalled:

“I never knew much of him when I was small because he was in the Royal Air Force serving much of his time in India as far as I know. When he came out of the RAF, he and his wife had a bungalow built not far from the pump. Next to it he opened a shop and a garage”.

James Woollard formed part of the ground crew repairing and servicing the aeroplanes’ internal combustion engines. It is small wonder therefore that in 1937 we find his profession as a newsagent, petrol filling manager and motor engineer.

His brothers George and William are also remembered on Blackmore’s War Memorial as survivors of the War.

The Air Raid of 31st March 1916

Friday 31st March 1916 was to be one of the worst nights in terms of civilian casualties. In Lincolnshire, East Suffolk, Ipswich and Essex, 223 bombs were dropped killing 48 and injuring 64 people.

Zeppelins L14 and L15 flew over Essex dropping bombs.

Reeve wrote:

“With the moonless nights and the still weather which has succeeded the wintry storms a succession of air-craft raids began. On March 31 five ‘Zeppelin’ airships visited the Eastern Counties.

One of them was heard over Stondon in the direction of Woolwich at 10.20pm, but we were destined to have a closer acquaintance with another of the group at a later hour.”

Having dropped bombs on Braintree at 11pm killing four people Bocker in his Zeppelin L14 travelled south with the intent on attacking London. But when he and his crew got to Kelvedon Hatch they were met with heavy gunfire from the ground so decided to chart a course northwards over Blackmore.

Revd. Reeve continues the story:

“At 11.45 a Zeppelin dropped a series of bombs at the point where is the junction of Stondon with the parishes of Blackmore and Kelvedon Hatch: within easy distance of Soap House Farm.

A machine-gun had been lately established at Kelvedon Hatch to watch for the raiders, and Capt. Hulton in charge claims to have hit the air-ship, causing it to drop the bombs hurriedly.”

Fear of the Air Raids

The air-raids were deliberately designed by the enemy to strike fear among the people and to destroy morale.

Reeve noted:

“15th April 1916: Considerable alarm was naturally caused by these visitations: and many nervous persons were for some nights afterwards afraid to go to bed.”

John Fleetwood recalled that as a child:

“For a time I used to have a recurring nightmare, in which a Zeppelin would be sailing along the landing towards my bedroom; these nightmares soon ceased, but while they lasted, they were quite horrifying.”

The Bomb Craters at Blackmore

No one was killed or injured by the many bombs which were dropped in Blackmore, but the course of the explosions aroused great interest.

Reeve added:

“Large numbers of persons from Brentwood and the surrounding district visited the spot next day, and the large craters caused by the bombs, some 15 feet in diameter and varying from 3 to 9 feet in depth, were the astonishment of all.

The whole saucer-like cavities were left entirely clean by the explosion, and one local builder Mr Gann remarked there was no trace anywhere of the large body of earth which had been scooped out by the force of the bomb.

Clods torn from the craters were sprinkled to a distance of 60 yards. Nine of the thirteen holes were quickly found: and fortunately no life was lost or building injured. All had fallen in open fields.

Our windows at Stondon Rectory were violently shaken and considerable alarm was naturally caused. We in the close neighbourhood have much for which to be deeply grateful to an over-ruling Providence.”

This had indeed been a close call for the villagers of Blackmore. The bombs had dropped not half a mile from their homes.

In perhaps a unique record Reeve gave more detail in his notes on 6th April:

“Further enquiry shows that the bombs dropped on March 31st fell between the Soap House and the corner of Blackmore between the Church and Miss Barrett’s house.

Two were dropped in the lane near the site of the old Blackmore Mill. The remaining holes were to be found in a straight-line across the fields to Miss Barrett’s at very short intervals. Many panes of glass were broken in the house by the concussion.”

The Blackmore Memorial Window

In the church at Blackmore, in what was at the time the Vestry, is a memorial window commemorating what happened that night.

It is inscribed:

“This window is erected as a thank-offering to Almighty God for the protection in the Great Air Raid of March 31st 1916”

Zeppelin L15

The other Zeppelin to make a local visit on the night of 31st March 1916 was the L15 captained by Oberlautnant Briethaupt.

His craft arrived over Dunwich in Suffolk about 7.45pm that evening heading over Ipswich and Colchester towards Chelmsford two hours later.

As the Zeppelin approached London it was met by heavy fire from the defensive ring of guns.

Captain Morris wrote:

“Attempting to elude the bombardment, Breithaupt turned northwards, hurriedly jettisoning his bombs on Rainham, but to no avail, as shrapnel from the Purfleet guns ... made a large rent in her side. ...

When L15 was east of Brentwood shortly before ten o’clock, Second Lieutenant Brandon in a B.E.2c, who had risen from Hainault Farm, overtook the airship and climbing above her dropped explosive darts without apparent result.

The airship could no longer rise owing to loss of gas.”

The attack happened over Ingatestone about 10.05pm. The Zeppelin made due east aiming for the Belgian coast.

In a desperate attempt to stay airborne, the crew jettisoned everything heavy and moveable. Two machine guns and other objects were later found in fields in Stock, South Hanningfield and Woodham Ferrers.

It encircled Foulness Island twice before the crew decided not to land. The airship lost height over the following half hour and ditched near Knock Deep Light Vessel at 11pm.

All but one of the crew were rescued and taken prisoners. One drowned.

The Essex Weekly News reported that:

“It dropped into the sea and sunk while being towed to land. Seventeen members of the crew were rescued and are prisoners of war at Chatham Barracks”.

A Turning Point in the Air War

The downing of a Zeppelin on 31st March 1916 was a breakthrough and turning point in the war on the Home Front.

Britain was ill-prepared for air attack. The Germans has been planning air supremacy for some time before the war. It took 35 minutes for a British plane to achieve the same altitude as a Zeppelin – 10,000 feet.

Throughout 1915 and the early part of 1916 Britain was on the back foot. London suffered attack in its first blitz.

The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Charles Wakefield, had put up a reward of £500 for the first airship brought down. This was converted to commemorative medals cast for the members of the Anti-Aircraft gunners of the 3rd Company, Essex and Suffolk Royal Garrison Artillery at Purfleet.

Zeppelins Brought Down

Bad weather and high winds prevented many Zeppelin attacks during the spring of 1916. They would resume again in September.

Later that year pilots flying upwards to great altitudes managed to fire incendiary bullets into the gas bags of three Zeppelins and cripple a fourth.

One Zeppelin came down in flames at Cuffley on 2nd September 1916, another at Snails Hall Farm, Billericay on the night of 23rd /24th September, and the third at Potters Bar on 1st October.

Also on 24th September the skin of Zeppelin L33 was pierced causing it to lose gas. The crew landed it with the intention of setting it on fire. It had so little fuel that it failed to burn for a long period of time.

The crew was led by none other than Bocker, who had captained the L14 that Friday night in March over Blackmore.

There are a number of eyewitness accounts of the Zeppelins coming down in flames.

Reeve wrote of the Billericay zeppelin:

“It appeared from our windows a red ball at first, about the apparent size of the sun; and then, as it quickly fell, it stretched itself out, some portions getting away from the main wreck, and looking like drops of fire in the distance.

The distance to fall must have been so great, as there was time for the eye to observe these portions quite clearly during a period perhaps of half a minute.”

The Gotha Raid of 13th June 1917

Reeve also witnessed the mid-morning air raid of 13th June 1917 by German Gotha planes over the east end of London in which 145 people were killed, the highest death toll from a single air raid during the whole war.

Eighteen infants were killed at a school in Poplar when the building suffered a direct hit.

“They came over Stondon from the North East at a great height, so as to be practically out of view.

Some, however, saw three, and some as many as ten, like little glittering silver fish against the blue sky.

They filled the air with a rumbling as a huge traction engine. About ten minutes after their passing over our heads we heard the bombs dropping in the direction of London, and the visitors shaped a more southerly course, and the droning died away in the direction of Rochford and Southend.

It was possible, however, as they swerved round on their return journey, to hear the quick firing of machine guns, indicating that a struggle was proceeding at great height between the invaders and our gallant airmen.

The accounts tell us that many lives were lost through the raid, and many terrible injuries inflicted.

A Stondon woman (Mrs Skinner) and her child were travelling to London that day, and, with other passengers, brought back word of sad scenes in the Great Eastern Company’s terminus at Liverpool Street.

One or two trains narrowly escaped wreckage, and in one at least several persons were killed.

It is felt that every effort must be made to give timely warning of such visits in the future, and to prevent the concourse of persons in the streets”.

The Air Raid of 7th July 1917

On 7th July 1917 a further air raid claimed another 57 lives whereupon the Government made plans to create a Royal Air Force.

“We saw 22 [aeroplanes] over the Rectory compactly together, followed by two more which appeared to be stragglers. These two are believed to be British, and some claim to have heard machine-gun intercourse between them and the Germans”.