2/3 April 1916                       

Bombed:

Scotland, Essex & Suffolk   

Kapitänleutnant Alois Böcker, commanding Zeppelin L 14, appeared off the Scottish coast at St. Abb’s Head at about 9.30pm. He followed the coast to the Firth of Forth but, unable to locate the naval docks at Rosyth, approached Leith at about 11.30pm, dropping nine high-explosive (HE) and 11 incendiary bombs. The first five (three HE and two incendiary) caused damage at the Edinburgh Dock and Albert Dock. The next bomb (HE) landed on a tenement at 2 Commercial Street where it destroyed part of the roof and top floor flat killing Robert Love, aged 66. Four incendiaries followed, falling in Commercial Street and Sandport Street. Then a catastrophe occured that brought a tear to the eye of many a Scotsman – an HE bomb destroyed Innes & Grieve’s bonded warehouse. Packed with whisky, the blast caused damaged estimated at £44,000. Further bombs set fire to two houses, in Church Street and Mill Lane, and a bomb that struck a court at 200 Bonnington Road killed 1-year-old David Robb. The final Leith bomb caused considerable damage at the Bonnington Tannery on Newhaven Road.

Now L 14 was over Edinburgh and began dropping the first of 24 bombs (17 HE and 7 incendiaries) on the Scottish capital. The first fell on vacant ground at Bellevue Terrace, behind East Claremont Street, causing minor local damage. Following a southward course across the city an incendiary fell in The Mount, between the castle and Waverley Station, followed moments later by an HE bomb that exploded on the roof of 39 Lauriston Place causing serious damage to it and number 41 – the School for Children with Skin Diseases - but the occupants escaped unhurt. About 80 yards away in Graham Street (now Keir Street), however, a portion of the same bomb cut down 27-year-old David Robertson who died in hospital of his injuries.

Continuing southwards, L 14 dropped bombs in the grounds of George Watson’s College, on The Meadows and on a tenement in Marchmont Crescent, but no one was injured, before turning eastwards. Bombs fell on Hatton Place, on a tenement at 183 Causewayside, injuring six people and causing a 74-year-old woman to have a fatal heart attack, and on Blacket Place. L.14 then turned back to the centre of the city, dropping an incendiary in the grounds of the Royal Infirmary followed by an HE bomb that exploded in Grassmarket outside the White Hart Hotel. This wrecked the interior, injuring four people of whom one, William Breakey, later died of his injuries. L 14 then followed a westerly course, dropping a bomb at the south-west corner of Castle Rock, then an HE bomb on the County Hotel in Lothian Road wrecking the upper two floors and adjoining buildings.

Zeppelin L 22, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Martin Dietrich, came inland before L 14, crossing the coast a little to the north of Berwick-upon-Tweed at about 9.00pm. Dietrich believed he bombed a large factory in Newcastle but his 14 HE and 14 incendiary bombs fell in the countryside north-west of Berwick, landing near Lamberton Farm, close to the village of Chirnside and at East Blanerne Farm. None of these bombs caused any damage. Back out over the sea L 22 dropped another five HE bombs and then generally followed the coastline towards the Firth of Forth, coming inland at North Berwick and dropping a single incendiary bomb on golf links near Archerfield House near Dirleton. It seems that by the time L 22 approached Leith, L 14 was already bombing at a much lower height so Dietrich stood off. At 11.50pm, moving very slowly, he dropped an HE bomb at Slateford on the outskirts of Edinburgh, followed by another at Comiston at 12.15am and a third at Bridgend near Craigmiller five minutes later. At about 12.40pm Dietrich took L 22 back out to sea over the Firth of Forth near Portobello.

The third of the Navy Zeppelins, L 16, commanded by Oberleutnant-zur-See Werner Peterson, approached from further south than L 14 and L 22, coming inland over Druridge Bay on the Northumberland coast at about 11.00pm. Peterson followed a largely southerly course which was taking him towards Newcastle (although he believed he was already south of Tyne) until he steered away westwards towards Ponteland, attracted by flares burning at the High West Houses aircraft landing ground. L 16 dropped 12 HE and 11 incendiary bombs there at 11.35pm without causing damage. Peterson then turned north-east, sighting more flares at Cramlington airfield where he dropped five HE and six incendiary bombs at 11.50pm which burnt some woodwork. L 16 then headed back northwards before dropping seven HE bombs near Broomhill Colliery at 12.15am: three landed in fields at Hadston and four at Togston Barns Farm. Five minutes later Peterson took L 16 back out to sea over Amble. Two RFC aircraft went up from Cramlington without success and one was wrecked in a landing accident.

Two Army Zeppelins also raided England on the night of 2nd/3rd April, hoping to reach London.

LZ 90, commanded by Oberleutnant Ernst Lehmann, crossed the coast near the mouth of the River Colne, Essex, at 10.40pm. Approaching London, LZ 90 came under fire from Great Baddow, near Chelmsford, and then again from Kelvedon Hatch at about 11.35pm, after which LZ 90 steered a course towards Waltham Abbey. At 11.50pm the searchlight at Chingford illuminated her and four minutes later the AA guns of the Waltham Abbey Control area opened fire. Lehmann immediately ordered the release of all his 90 bombs (25 high-explosive and 65 incendiaries) which fell on a line about a mile and a half long, between Woodredon Farm and Windmill Hill off Honey Lane. The release of the bombs, around 11.57pm, caused LZ.90 to rise sharply while passing over the AA gun at Farm Hill and disappear from view. Lehmann, who believed his bombs fell on ‘the docks and eastern part of [London]’ now turned for home, going out to sea again near Clacton at about 1.00am.

The second army Zeppelin, LZ 88 commanded by Hauptmann Falck, came inland at about 11.30pm near Orfordness, Suffolk. She followed a route towards Ipswich, but on encountering machine gun fire from Rushmere Heath, she circled to the west of the town. LZ 88 then crossed the River Orwell, attracting fire from the gun at Levington Heath, and headed east back towards the coast. As Falck crossed the River Debden just after 1.00am he began releasing his bomb load, the majority of which (ten HE and 53 incendiaries) landed between the villages of Ramsholt - here some windows were broken - and Alderton, with a final bomb landing near Hollesley at 1.15am. Falck may have mistaken the Debden for the Orwell, intending his bombs for Felixstowe.