Zeppelin Raids on the Hartlepools

There were three German air raids on the Hartlepools during the First World War. On the night of 8^th August 1916 the first Zeppelin Raid took place, during which two bombs were dropped in a field near the districts of Foggy Furze and Longhill in West Hartlepool, damaging houses nearby.

On 27^th November 1916 the second Zeppelin raid took place raid over West Hartlepool. It damaged many shops and houses inland, to the west of the West Hartlepool docks. The Zeppelin was brought down by Lieut I.V. Pyott R.F.C. (Royal Flying Corps.)

The third attack was on 13^th March 1918. The Zeppelin probably intended to bomb the docks, but only succeeded in damaging some domestic housing.

Zeppelin History

Zeppelins were originally named after Count von Zeppelin, a retired German army officer. He developed his design, and flew his first airship in 1900. The airship was made up of a large balloon, filled with hydrogen, which is lighter than air, to make it go upwards. Underneath the balloon, is a “gondola” or cabin, which contains the controls. The Zeppelins could have four Mercedes engines of 200 horse power each, and its direction and height could be controlled, by vertical rudders and horizontal elevators, to a much greater extent than an ordinary balloon in which only the height can be controlled by the use of ballast.

Count von Zeppelin persuaded the Kaiser to buy his air ships. They were successfully tested before June 1908, and the Kaiser was informed of this. The first Zeppelin was bought in 1909. By the outbreak of war in 1914 the Germans had seven Zeppelins.

With the deadlock of trench warfare, Germany started to attack British towns from the air. The victims were mainly on the east coast of England – King’s Lynn, Great Yarmouth and Hull, in 1915. On 4^th April 1915 there was a Zeppelin raid over Northumberland, the most northerly county in England.

The First Attack, 8^th August, 1916

The first Zeppelin to attack the Hartlepools was heard before it was seen. The weather was cloudy, and the airship was travelling at a height of about two miles. She was travelling at about sixty-five to seventy miles per hour. The Zeppelin moved about as if not certain of the target. Then two bombs were dropped in a field at Longhill, damaging houses nearby. The Zeppelin then went away.

The Second Zeppelin Raid –27^th November 1916. 

A Zeppelin crossed the coast a few miles to the north of Hartlepool, near Blackhall, away from the town and was not engaged by coastal defences. It passed over Norton and Stockton tracked by searchlights, one of which was sited near Elwick, and one at Hutton Henry (two villages to the west of Hartlepool). The Zeppelin doubled back, but was caught by the searchlight at Elwick and fired on by anti-aircraft guns. It dropped thirteen bombs on Elwick, perhaps trying to put the searchlight out of action. All it succeeded in doing was making holes in fields and injuring two cows. One bomb dropped very close to Dovecote Farm. 

Four bombs (high explosives) were then dropped in fields near West Park, the suburb of West Hartlepool nearest to Elwick. This was probably intended to lighten its load, and increase its chance of escape. Windows were broken in some houses there. Two bombs fell in nearby Ward Jackson Park. One landed by the side of the lake and another on a terrace walkway. A plaque was placed there later to commemorate the event. After that, the Zeppelin headed for the coast. The airship may have been hit at that time as aeroplanes had already been mobilised in the towns’ defence. It sailed over West Hartlepool, was again caught in searchlights again, and fired at. It flew into the light, at about 9000 to 10,000 feet. (About 3000 metres.) Hundreds of shells were aimed at it. People standing in Church Square heard and saw the approaching airship. It seemed to be aiming for them, and they ran for cover. At this point it changed course going over some nearby streets. In this area the houses were small, and the streets packed close together.

The Zeppelin then dropped a total of twenty-nine bombs in the Hartley Street, Lowthian Road and Poplar Grove area. One bomb fell on the pavement in front of No.15 Hartley Street. The front of the house was blown in and a paving stone was hurled across the street to land on the stairs of the house opposite. No.6 Lowthian Road was completely wrecked. The husband and wife who lived there were injured and taken to Cameron Hospital. The roadway was damaged in Poplar Grove and houses severely damaged, particularly Nos.2 and 4 where a man was badly injured. The bombs later appeared to have been dropped in pairs, one from the port and one from the starboard side of the airship. Two people died of injuries sustained in the attack. The Zeppelin zigzagged in an attempt to break free from the searchlights, but by now it could be seen that theairship was on fire and was dropping its bombs in a haphazard way.

Some of these bombs landed on allotments and the football ground where the stand was severely damaged. It had been attacked by an aircraft piloted by Lieut. I Pyatt of No.36 squadron based at Seaton Carew aerodrome and flames were coming from it as it passed over St Hilda’s church at about midnight. A tracer or incendiary shell caused the fire in the airship. It very rapidly became engulfed with flame and went into the sea 800 yards beyond the old lighthouse at between 11.45 and midnight. It burned for half an hour before sinking and could be seen twenty miles away (32 kilometres) as it burned. Parts of it were later washed up on the shore.

On January 11^th 1917 the burial took place at Seaton Carew of two of the Zeppelin's crew whose bodies had been washed ashore; they were re-interred in the War Grave Cemetery at Cannock Chase in 1962. Three other crew members were subsequently recovered from the sea, but there are no details of where they were buried.

Third Attack, March 13^th 1918

The Zeppelin crossed the coast heading north about 9.30pm. It was flying at a high altitude and was not visible from the ground. No sound of propellers was heard, possibly because the airship cut its engines and glided in, so as not to be attacked by anti-aircraft guns. The Zeppelin dropped bombs on Middleton Beach and Old Town, where the roof of the Normanby Hotel in was blown in. It then moved inland, dropping bombs on fields -  “Thompson’s spring wheat by way of the workhouse” The defence guns fired, but could not see or hear their target. It moved over the timber ponds and docks and was probably aiming for the railway and the Goods Station. A bomb was dropped on the seaward side of Mainsforth Terrace. It damaged iron sheds beside the N.E.R. railway. It also damaged the Exchange School, offices and soldiers’ billets. Bombs were dropped on Burbank, Temperance, Frederick and Whitby Streets. Eight people in all were killed. Twenty-two people were injured, mostly by cuts from broken glass.

Why the Zeppelins were failures

There was no military purpose in the Zeppelins’ air raids, their intention was to reduce the morale of the British, and weaken the war effort, which the raids failed to do totally. The Zeppelins were failures because of their inaccuracy of bombing and the small size of their bombs. They had to fly very high, about three kilometres above sea level because they were very big, and made easy targets. The Zeppelins travelled at night to improve their chances of not being seen. This made it difficult to find their way. Navigation at the time was very basic in comparison with today’s methods, and they had no radar. They were also slower than ordinary aeroplanes, and thus easily attacked by them. Frederick Miller, a local author writing at the time said, “They were too big to fly low, and in cloudland they were as lost explorers in Polar regions. It must be admitted that they gave us a great deal of trouble and anxiety.”