Poem ~ Paris Attacks - Tuesday, 31 July 1917

Source: File: From Geographical Imaginations: Is Paris Burning? A look-out man operates a portable siren above the city. See an original image at: <https://geographicalimaginations.com/2012/10/20/is-paris-burning/> 
[Accessed 31 July 2017]

Within war comes propaganda;

Opposing sides give denial

Of what the other side says.

Arial activity over the capital

Of France, found multiple
German bombing air raids.

As a precaution army of Paris
Firemen warned the people
Of enemy crafts approaching.

Weird, unusual sounds stirred

Paris, as firemen on roofs blew

On bugles or sounded sirens.

Above air raid alarms French

Air craft took flight over city,

In a darkening, melting sky.

Ground and sky became

As one - deep darkness cut

By beams of searchlights.

German official reports told
Of railways targeted in Paris,
To hit their mark with damage.

By Saturday, French replies

Made denial - that enemy

Planes had left no destruction.

Neither material loss nor loss

Of life - wireless messages

Were received by Admiralty.

Yet Parisian military bases

And railways were hit, with
German pilots safely returned.

Sunday July 29th, a Journal

Told of a suburban air raid

To describe damages done.

One store of combustibles

had been hit - also a factory

Yard, to leave small effects.

Two more fell appropriately

Into gutters, while shell havoc

Hit beds of innocent cauliflowers.

Any resulting explosions

Lacked involved descriptions,

As another bomb hit a centre.

Noted as important, maybe

Military, one turret exploded;

Being close to civilian houses.

The blast blew out material

To injure a single sleeping lady -

More bombs harmlessly fell.

Some hit one large enclosure,

With three in a boulevard -

Another damaged flowerbeds.

Sunday 29 July saw repeat.

30 minutes after midnight

Came the sounds of bugles.

Firemen called reveille and

Again set sirens loud across

Sleepy Paris, all as a caution.

Readied French squadrons

Took action to flight; reportedly

Sending enemy backwards.

News via Petit Journal, from
Versailles said bombs exploded,

All lost in the open countryside.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1917. Bombs On Paris - No Victims Or Damage. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 30 July 1917. P.4. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214740/Daily-Telegraph-July-30-1917.html [Accessed: 31 July 2017].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 31 July 2017). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214740/Daily-Telegraph-July-30-1917.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Paris

Poem ~ Zeppelin Hunters - Tuesday, 3 April 1917 - Wednesday, 4 April 1917

Source: File: The wreck of Zeppelin L 33 near New Hall Cottages, Essex coast. See an original image at: <https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/12459200283/> [Accessed 3 April 2017]

Source: File: Mrs. Lewis and family in front of a zeppelin L 33 down, September 1916, New Hall Cottages, Essex coast. See an original image at: <https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationaalarchief/6934945744/> [Accessed 3 April 2017]

i

Within the rural idyll of Essex,

Came events of war to break the peace.

An enemy mission sent on a raid

Above English soil saw Zeppelins in skies

Over villages, as in Little Wigborough.

Not far from sea and estuaries,

Proved a likely route to and from London

For Zeppelins seeking escape

Across the North Sea, over English rural land

And farms as happened with L 33.

In what had become a fairly

Common event, new German zeppelins

Chanced a raid on English

Capital city in month of September 1916.

L 32 and L 33 found trouble.

L32 making its way to London

Was seen by anti aircraft gunnery, dropping

Bombs close to Purfleet - after

Turning about an interception came by RFC's

Frederick Sowrey on night patrol.

Lit by searchlights L 33 proved

Easy target for Sowrey, to fire incendiaries

Into the craft's belly; the zeppelin

Being downed at Great Burstead, fairly close

To Snails Farm by area of Billericay.

Zeppelin L 33 managed to reach

Target of London to have some success

Killing civilians - the crew led

By Kapitan Alois Bocker - but came under

Anti aircraft fire to gain damage.

Night patrols targeted the enemy

Close to Chelmsford - taking various hits

L 33 escaped to continue over

Essex, throwing out equipment ballast  

In attempt to regain height.

Yet Bocker knew any successful

Escape across sea had become impossible.

Travelling for a short distance

They made it to fly over Little Wigborough

And isolated New Hall Cottages.

ii

The airship became grounded

In the darkness - Kapitan Bocker felt duty

To inform any local people

Of crews intentions to destroy the ship; likely
Including a scared Lewis family.

They knocked on doors; fearful

Families would not answer to Germans.

Giving up, the crew set fire

To wrecked L33 and after it had exploded

The crew calmly left.

In smart fashion the Germans

Marched along lanes to make their way

Towards Peldon - police were

Aware of the Zeppelin, as a lone constable

On a bicycle appeared.

PC Nicholas surprised

To see these marching men in night's depth

Halted - by torchlight he

Quizzed if they had seen a zeppelin landing;

Bocker spoke politely.

He asked how far to Colchester.

Detecting an accent PC Nicholas advised him

Six miles - he then followed

The marching men into Peldon village, where

PC354 Smith took charge.

After their formal arrest

An organised escort of 8 special constables

Politely marched Germans

To Mersea Island. Meeting military halfway,

The crew were handed over.

While Constable Nicholas

Had single handed, routed them to Peldon -

Promotion was given over

To Constable Smith, for his cool act of arrest;

To be known as Sgt. 'Zepp' Smith.

iii

With polite, orderly nature

Of an enemy crew made captives, such downed

Crafts like Zeppelin L32

Were quick targets for eager souvenir hunters;

Even if a smouldering wreck.

Barely two hours after

L32 had been struck down, many local people

Were out to see wreckage -

Long lines of car lights from London invaded

The area, to cause chaos.

By 8 a.m. local narrow lanes

And approaches were blocked by traps, motor

Cars, pedestrian’s, motor

Cycles, carts and bicycles, along with hundreds

Of cyclists cluttering the fields.

Quite undeterred by rows

Of armed soldiers and police protecting the site,

Figures eagerly scoured

Any fields for wreckage signs; a local economy

Boosted by lemonade sellers.

The L33 was yet another

Burnt wreck of twisted aluminium, to attract

Civilian hunters of remnants.

That same month an Essex bench had seen

A postcard seller and Innkeeper.

Innkeeper Edward Straggling,

Along with postcard vendor Jack Lewis (maybe

Of New Hall Cottages), were

Both charged Under Defence of the Realm Act,

For holding wreckage fragments.

Jack Lewis had been seen

On the streets, to show various zeppelin relics,

Selling pieces for 1 shilling.

Edward Straggling parked his motorbike then

Met Lewis with a bag of items.

An officer of the law saw and

Approached; the bag held aluminium pieces

Which were zeppelin parts

The Police officer proceeded to arrest them.

Straggling took to his bike.

Although the case was to be

Dismissed the chairmen stated it was sad

How people made money

In such a way, when their lives were in danger

From enemy crafts.

Some months later such

Events continued - on 30 March 1917 saw

A man of Essex, a ploughman

Charged before a magistrate, for keeping

Stolen zeppelin items.

Aluminium frames along

With girders from the L33, which came down

Close to his cottage,

24 September 1916. He held a speedometer

Of the craft, found 4 months later.

He advised the magistrate

The large items were given to him by those who

Removed the zeppelin.

Believing he held no guilt a case was dismissed,

Yet with a final request.

In memory of September

Night when the German crew came knocking

On his house door, might

He keep the aluminium fragments? - the Bench

Agreed, decision was no.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1917. Zeppelin Mementoes. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 02 April 1917. P.5. Col.6. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214426/Daily-Telegraph-April-2-1917.html> [Accessed: 03 April 2017].

Source: File: Two Zeppelins on a bombing mission brought down in Essex.. Available at: <http://www.historyhouse.co.uk/articles/zeppelins.html> [Accessed 03 April 2017]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 03 April 2017). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214426/Daily-Telegraph-April-2-1917.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Zeppelins

Poem ~ Zeppelin Attack - Wednesday, 27 September 1916 - Thursday, 28 September 1916

Source: File: 1915 Army recruitment poster. See an original image at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:It_is_far_better_to_face_the_bullets.jpg> [Accessed 27 September 2016]

While the fighting on the front continued,

There was no let up on the home front -

Zeppelin raids continued on a mission

To bring confusion and damage over

English shores. In a south London

Suburb of a correspondent’s home,

Came a personal experience.

Recognising the crackling of distant

Gunfire, the correspondent went

Out onto the street - time close

About midnight. Distant, muffled

Sounds to be only sign of any

Kind of event - all of a sudden

A green flare lit the darkness.

The strange burst of light brought

The neighbouring buildings into

Flickering relief - drifting down,

Lighting the underside of an

Airship; joined by further two

Flares falling as green stars,

Observed by the reporter.

For ten minutes he stood to watch.

Following dull drones of zeppelin
Engines, in returned darkness,

Came in rapid succession a fall

Of six bombs, dropping across

The London suburb - fleeing
Raiders followed the roads.

By trail of damaged pockmarked

Civilian homes, the zeppelin

Took advantage of mapping

Above tramline routes and 

Roads over south London -

Dropping their explosives

Loads and incendiaries.

Occurring during one late Saturday

Night, this raid over London saw
One witness, a newsagent, who
As usual did not close up shop
Until the hour of midnight - ten
Minutes after locking up, this
Shop owner heard noise 
Of shells and gunfire.

Explosive sounds were a distance

Away - being unable to see any

Disturbance on the streets, he

Climbed the stairs where his

Family lived over the shop -

Only a short time later, noisy

Shells bursts came closer.

The shop owner went to look from

His window and saw mid air the

Bomb burst - the resulting force

Flung him across the bedroom

Onto the bed - unharmed, yet

Distress was made worse by

Shattered electric lights bulbs.

With a rewind of seconds the shop

Owner stood at a window - eyes

Fixed on a moving shape that

He described as bursting,

Before it hit the ground; his

Close proximity feeling

Full effects of a blast.

From sudden explosive reactions

The area around the epi-centre

Created over-pressurised air -

Faster than light air particles

Of high compression flew out

In all directions; a blast wave

Had caused initial destruction.

An old woman was walking down

The road, at the same time as

The shopkeeper felt the force

Of compressed air - all glass

Fragmented into a shards,

As he was picked up by

The blast waves impact.

As he was carried across a room

The old lady was also lifted and

Dropped down at a distance,

Unhurt - transformed energy

Became shockwaves more

Powerful to push energy

Through the old lady.

With the shopkeeper flying backwards

He absorbed the effect unaffected,

Only to be stunned, safely landing

On the bed in milliseconds. Waves

Of the shells burst then formed

A blast wind - the outward

Push causing a vacuum.

What the shopkeeper had found odd,

Was fact that none of the glass

Fell inside - what had happened

Was a vacuum in sudden refilled

With air - this suction force of

High intensity acted to pull all

Glass and debris backwards.

The concussive force resulted -

Also to lift the shopkeepers

Roof a full four inches - by

Final fragmentation the

Bomb fell into the public

Park opposite the shop,

Creating a deep crater.

By bombing London on Saturday

Night the Zeppelin fortunately

Chose a late hour, when less

People were on the streets,

Than if it had been 10 p.m. -

Still to affect those who

Were traveling home.

One lady returning from the theatre,

Having then stepped out of a taxi

Cab, felt the sudden explosive

Concussion, to throw her down -

Others were injured as she

Saw 15 people helped from

Their damaged homes.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Scenes In London - Bombs On A Road. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 26 September 1916. P.9. Col.5. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12213293/Daily-Telegraph-September-26-1916.html> [Accessed: 27 September 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 27 September 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12213293/Daily-Telegraph-September-26-1916.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1London

Poem ~ Zeppelins; The Next Generation - Monday, 7 August 1916

Source: File: A Giant Zeppelin. See an original image at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Zeppelins> 
[Accessed 7 August 2016]

Equal to German sea ambitions,

Another generation of Zeppelin

Airships took to the skies - seen

As giant cruisers, that by some

Alternative time of Trans Ocean

Service, to link German to America.

Via the World New York news

From Berlin, told of machines

And pride of their inventor; these

Next developments in Zeppelin

Told of their gigantic proportion -

Able to move at great heights.

Zeppelins to number 8, set

Out on a mission to menace

The English - L.11, L.14, L.16

L.17 L.22 L.31 among these -
Giant air ships broke form to

Separate along English coast.

At Suffolk L.11 took a path

Inland over river Debden -

To drop bombs on Bawdsey.

By flares at Kirton awoke

A searchlight on the craft,

Who replied with 4 bombs.

Likely mistaking the river

Debden for the river Orwell

L.11 turning direction,

Next to appear at Felixstowe,

In game of back and forth

Over ground, under fire.

By 2 a.m. L11 made it over

Harwich Harbour, to drop

A bomb onto Landguard

Fort - damaging windows

And tents, to flee 2.35 a.m.
Fired at by Shingle St. guns.

Wind sucking power enabled

Zeppelins faster speeds, to tell

How one of these returned

From a trip over England, of

237 odd miles, within two

Hours, after a bomb delivery.

By Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Gigantic Zeppelins - German Boasts. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 5 August 1916. P.9. Col.2. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12212487/Daily-Telegraph-August-5-1916.html> [Accessed: 7 August 2016].

Source: File: Zeppelin Raids, Gothas And 'Giants' - Britain's First Blitz 1914-1918. Available at: <http://www.iancastlezeppelin.co.uk/89-aug-1916-1/4592178832> [Accessed 7 August 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 7 August 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12212487/Daily-Telegraph-August-5-1916.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1zeppelins

Poem ~ Goading An Enemy - Friday, 26 May 1916

Source: File:  Photograph of 1/22nd Battalion London Regiment (The Queen’s), 1916. [online] See an original image at: <https://trinityremembers.wordpress.com/their-stories-3/> [Accessed: 26 May 2016]

Up to the day in August 1914,

Unrelated men had undertaken

Daily tasks in the city.

Bankers and stockbrokers

Annually, making thousands

Of pounds a year.

Others were men of Fleet Street,

Daily reporting news of empire

To outbreak of war.

One day that changed fortune

Saw such men take to route

To join a king's call.

Months of training turned these

Civilian men into eager soldiers

For a London regiment.

One innocuous day on the front,

A non-specific London regiment

Came under attack.

On this regiment's section was

A German decision to send some

50,000 shells

Over fifty minutes the bombarding

Bombs made a wreck of trenches

Wire, swept like 'chaff'.

The held line was starting to thin,

As London soldiers were wounded

And killed by blasts.

A last bomb burst and the Germans

Readied to invade a space, where

Surely no one lived.

Still in cautious stealth, they began

To walk though the cordite haze,

When they came to halt.

Ahead on the parapets, stood men

Of London with their bayonets fixed -

Goading their approach.

Not so many yards separated

Opposites - 'Come on Fritz!' went

The English shout.

Declining the invite, the Germans

Turned under a hail of thousands

Of retaliating bullets.

Back to their trenches they ran -

Survivors leaving casualties

In their wake.

Learning of his London regiment,

Their Brigadier General then sent

Warmest congratulations.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. London Regiment's Bravery. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 19 May 1916. P.10. Col.1. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12210234/Daily-Telegraph-May-23-1916.html>  [Accessed: 26 May 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal

communication, 26 May 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12210234/Daily-Telegraph-May-23-1916.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1WesternFront 

Poem ~ Zeppelin Raid: East Coast - Tuesday, 18 April 1916 - Thursday, 20 April 1916

Impression sketch of Zeppelin L15 Brought down in the Thames Estuary - by Jamie. From original images that can be seen at: <http://www.illustratedfirstworldwar.com/item/a-raiding-zeppelin-brought-down-in-the-thames-estuary-the-l-15-iln0-1916-0408-0004-001/#> [Accessed: 11 April 2016]

i

An ambitious plan had commenced

By end of day 31 March 1916 -

When five zeppelin crafts edged

Across the sea, towards East

Counties of England.

The five, as they neared British

Shores, divided to take various

Courses - airships detached

To form two squadrons;

Heading to targets.

Bombs from the air numbered

Ninety - among them to fall

On Ipswich - one zeppelin

Had to alter course, with

Engine problems.

Kapitanleutnant Martin Dietrich

In Zeppelin L22, in leaving

The Nordholz base, gave

His orders; 518-foot craft

Headed to Grimsby.

Their presence detected, attracted

Ground searchlights and aims

Of anti aircraft guns - despite

Shots, no real damage

Was done.

ii

L22 began to unload payload

Of 25lb bombs, intended

For the Grimsby Docks -

But ground was hit,

In open country.

Without success L22 moved

Out to sea, where a flare lit

Pier prior to a return try -

Three more bombs fell

Across Cleethorpes.

Within billets of Baptist Church

Hall, Manchester Reserves -

There for coastal defences

Of River Humber - were

To suffer a direct bomb.

Sea View Street was hit first,

As another destroyed local

Council officers - the third

On Baptist Church Hall;

27 men killed.

Four of the men playing cards

In cellar were to be rescued -

While another four died

From wounds - a total

Of 53 soldiers injured.

iii

In vague reports of newspapers,

stated attacks on east coast -

While the Times referred to

A village of no significance;

As L15 flew elsewhere.

Kapitanleutnant Joachim Brethaupt,

In Command of L15 airship, aimed

For London targets and reached 

The Thames estuary - when

Its presence was spotted.

A later dispute formed claims over

Which ground crew had made

Initial hit - from two batteries 

Of anti aircraft crews -

Tilbury and Purfleet.

Both ground-based defences took

To raking sky with gunfire - yet

L15 crew gave idea to a hit

Made by a flyer, that had

Followed them.

Second Lieutenant Alfred de Bathe,

Brandon, who was to get DSO

For his assault on the L15;

Yet the crew claimed

He had lost height.

iV

Lights searching the dark sky,

Locked onto the Zeppelin,

With shells busting all

Round her - then

To strike tail.

Items were seen thrown from the craft

To include machinery and their gun -

London's Lord Mayor's promise

Of money reward to gun crews,

Prompted their competition.

While source of gunnery remained

Mystery, the L15 was struck - the

Crews attempt to ditch weight

Was to fail, over the sea

Of Thames Estuary.

Close to The Kentish Knock lightship

The German airship struck water -

One Zeppelin crew member,

Willy Albrecht drowned -

While 15 survived.

Time was 12.15 a.m.1 April 1916,

While the time reported varied

As to events - witnesses saw

Disturbances, gather about

Stricken Zeppelin.

V

Danish steamer Svantolm's Captain

John Pell, had heard noises of air

Bound shots - later to see patrol

Boats about the wreckage

Of a huge Zeppelin.

From the boats about the craft, one

German was seem to emerge

From a cover, to crawl out

Over envelope - hands

Held up in surrender.

Other figures followed to number -

All but one taken ashore, to be

Marched without boots,

To ambulances, with  

Suggest injuries.

Kapitanleutnant Joachim Brethaupt

Seen to be dejected, insisted how

He be treated in great respect -

But soon adopted a more real

State of mind, as he lined

Up with his crew.

Those about him wore ordinary

Naval uniforms - while captain

Had a sealskin coat against

The cold - a rumour was an

Intention to destroy craft.

Vi

Any man left to blow the craft would

Be doomed - so by drawing lots

A junior officer was chosen -

But plan never happened;

Salvage was attempted.

Commander of the Steam Trawler

Olivine, Lieutenant Mackinstosh,

Said whilst sinking, the craft

Floated on a smooth sea;

At 3.30 a.m.

Seen as a burly young fair-haired

Commander, Brethaupt wore

'Pour le Marit' ribbon for his

London bombing raid from

Date, October 13 1915.

This officer also wore Iron Cross -

Whilst the second in command,

Ober Lieutenant Kuhner, had

Once lived in London - 

Where his sister lived.

Another photo of the crew was

A thickset man, a navigator

Of L15 - having once lived

In America, the German 
Spoke fluent English.

A salvage operation attempted

To pull L15 to low waters,

Continued - to recover

Salvageable parts,

And a body.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Zeppelin Raids - Latest German Inventions. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 10 April 1916. P.8. Col.8. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12208865/Daily-Telegraph-April-15-1916.html>  [Accessed: 18 April 2016].

Source: File: ZEPPELIN RAIDS - ZEPPELIN L15 BROUGHT DOWN. Online. Available at: <http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/91377020> [Accessed 18 April 2016]

Source: File: Zeppelin L.15. Online. Available at: <sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=1825.0> [Accessed 18 April 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 12 April 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12208865/Daily-Telegraph-April-15-1916.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Lincolnshire