A German Zeppelin

On the night of 19 January 1915, the first airship raid on Britain took place.

Zeppelins of the Imperial German Navy Airship Division dropped bombs on Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn, killing five people.

The Royal Flying Corps flew its first ever night sorties against the raiders, but two aircraft failed to intercept.

During the entire war 56 tons of bombs fell on London and 214 tons elsewhere.

Bombs were dropped on Yarmouth, Beeston, Sheringham, Brancaster, Heacham, Snettisham, Dersingham, Grimston and King's Lynn.

Aeroplanes were then still in their infancy and Zeppelins were the ultimate flying machine both in range and length of time they could stay airbourne.

The Zeppelin was only vulnerable when on the ground.

Filled with hydrogen, any leak formed an explosive mixture with air and while manoevering near the ground, collisions were sometimes devastating.

Aerial view of a Zeppelin

`L3 and L4' were the first two Zeppelins to raid Norfolk.

Each contained 19 individual gas filled bags and a crew of 21, housed in two gondolas slung beneath their enormous structures.

Three motors enabled the Zeppelins to reach speeds of 50 mph (80 kph).

Britain eventually responded to the Zeppelins with its own airship, the Pulham Pigs.

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