German airships attack Britain for the first time on this day in 1915 | The British Newspaper Archive Blog

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The cure to “Zeppelinitis”: German airships attack Britain for the first time on this day in 1915

On the night of the 19th January 1915, two German Zeppelins appeared out of the dark on the Norfolk coast and conducted the first airship attack on British soil. They had set out for Humberside, but strong winds had seen them divert to the areas around Great Yarmouth, Sheringham and King’s Lynn.

It would be the first of over 50 Zeppelin attacks on the UK. Strategically, they proved largely ineffective, with night raids and bad weather conditions making it difficult to target specific areas. The large, lumbering airships, that would materialise out of the darkness accompanied by an “eerie throbbing sound”, became widely known as baby-killers.

Nottingham Evening Post - Wednesday 20 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Nottingham Evening Post – Wednesday 20 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Western Mail - Thursday 21 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Western Mail – Thursday 21 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Western Daily Press - Saturday 23 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Western Daily Press – Saturday 23 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Four people were killed during that first attack on Norfolk, while another 16 were injured. While the low number of casualties meant that many people declared the attacks a failure, it did draw attention to the country’s lack of air defence, and eventually lead to the formation of the RAF.

Dundee Courier - Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Dundee Courier – Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser – Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Birmingham Mail - Thursday 21 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Birmingham Mail – Thursday 21 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Despite the attacks, the British public were determined to remain stoic. Newspapers published articles advising readers not to bow down to the opposition’s attempt to spread “Zeppelinitis”, as well as cartoons depicting the airships as more of a novelty item than any real threat.

Western Daily Press - Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Western Daily Press – Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Daily Mirror - Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Daily Mirror – Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Daily Mirror - Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Daily Mirror – Friday 22 January 1915 © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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