A tale came of Christmas day,
Of a daring raid by British aviators,
Numbering seven – The flyers
Took flight and descended
Towards the port of Cuxhaven,
And the stationed German fleet.
The enemy reaction became
One of immediate agitation –
The lack of German foresight,
Or any preparations was sited
On the military authorities -
Most markedly was the failure
Of Zeppelin crews, to see
The sudden British approach.
In an Admiral communiqué,
Released by the Press Bureau,
These Flight Lieutenants,
And Flight Commanders,
Made their move in daylight hours.
The seven seaplanes took to air
From carriers - a way off Heligoland.
A naval destroyer force,
With light cruiser and submarines,
Escorted the attacking mission.
As the planes delivered their
Messages for Christmas,
The British ships waited -
Until finally they were sighted
By Zeppelins - that prompted
An attack of four seaplanes,
And hostile enemy submarines.
A fight between these naval craft
Ensued - yet by swift British
Manoeuvring, enemy submarines
Were avoided-actions by Arethusa
And Undaunted sent Zeppelins,
By their gunnery, into sharp flight.
For three hours the British ships
Stood their water off the coast,
Without further encounters,
From enemy surface vessels -
There they met their three crafts
Safe return to the floating base.
Sometime later, another
Three pilots landed on water
To meet British submarines,
Leaving their craft to sink.
The safety of these six men,
Left one pilot missing -
Flight Commander F. Hewlett -
Whose seaplane last seen,
Eight miles from Heligoland -
Wrecked – his fate unknown.
What damage had been made
To the enemy port, was still
Yet to be known – but all
Craft had dropped their bombs
To hit there military targets.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1914. British Air Raid on the German Fleet-Daring Daring Exploit
of Naval Aviators – Attack on Cuxhaven. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 28
Dec. p.9. Col.4-5. Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11310982/Daily-Telegraph-December-28-1914.html
[Accessed: 28 December 2014].
Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter]
(Personal communication, 28 December 2014).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary
#worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered
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