Zeppelin raid on Edinburgh, 2nd April 1916
Background:
World War One: Zeppelin raid was Scotland’s first air blitz
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-25978256
Images:
By kind permission of the National Records of Scotland
SOURCE A – Photo of Zeppelin airship L14
SOURCE B – POLICE REPORT 1
5th April 1916
Report By
Peter McAusland, Detective Inspector
Criminal Investigation Department
Edinburgh City Police
Air Raid on Edinburgh
At 7pm on Sunday 2 April 1916 a telephone message was received
from the Post Office – as prearranged with the Military authorities
in the event of a threatened air raid – to be prepared and take
action.
At 9.50pm the order from the Military to “Take Air Raid Action”
was received.
Immediately on receipt of this order the Electric Light Department
was notified to lower all lights. All traffic was stopped and the
lights on vehicles were extinguished.
The Central Fire Station and Red Cross were also notified.
The Police Headquarters stations were informed and all men then off
duty of the Regular and Special Force were turned out.
At 11.50pm the first reports of bombs exploding were heard in the
direction of Leith and from that time until about 12.25am, Monday
3rd April, 24 bombs were dropped in the City of Edinburgh ‐
Incendiary 6
High Explosive 18
SOURCE C – POLICE REPORT 2
The first bomb which fell within the City was a high explosive one and
landed at 11.50pm in a vacant piece of ground at Bellevue Terrace – the
north eastern part of the City. No person was injured by this explosion and
damage to property consisted of windows being smashed on seven adjoining
streets.
The second bomb dropped in Edinburgh was an incendiary one and fell on the
roadway at the Mound about 400 yards from Edinburgh Castle and almost
due south from Bellevue Terrace. The third was a high explosive bomb and
fell on the roof of the dwelling house at 39 Lauriston Place occupied by Dr.
John McLaren, wrecking the roof, ceiling and inner wall dividing the house
from number 41. Although both premises were occupied, none of the inmates
were injured.
A man who was on the street in Graham Street about 80 yards west was,
however, injured by a portion of the bomb and has since died. An explosive
bomb fell in the grounds of George Watson’s College about 150 yards due
south of 39 Lauriston Place. No person was injured.
An incendiary bomb fell on the Meadows. About 11.55pm a high explosive
bomb fell on the tenement at 82 Marchmont Crescent, exploded on striking,
a large portion of the shell travelling downwards through the ceilings and
flooring of these flats and landed on the floor of t he ground flat house,
number 80 Marchmont Crescent. No person was injured.
A high explosive bomb fell on the tenement at 183 Causewayside which
consists of single and double room houses.
Six persons were injured and
the building practically wrecked. At 81 Hatton Place an incendiary bomb fell
in the garden in the rear of this villa doing no damage.
An incendiary bomb fell in the garden at the rear of the villa at 28 Blacket
Place doing no damage. An incendiary bomb was dropped in the grounds of
the Royal Infirmary. A high explosive bomb fell on the pavement in
Grassmarket immediately in front of the “White Hart Hotel”, at number 34,
injuring four people, one of whom has since died.
A high explosive bomb fell on the Castle Rock, south west corner. An
explosive bomb fell on the County Hotel, 21 Lothian Road, injuring very
slightly an inmate. The roof and interior of the building were badly damaged.
An explosive bomb fell
Coltbridge Gardens.
in
the
valley
of
the
Water
of
Leith
opposite
An explosive bomb fell in the valley of the Water of Leith near the Mill
Lade.
An explosive bomb fell in the valley of the Water of Leith near
Donaldson’s Hospital School.
to
In Marshall Street, a working class tenement, an explosive bomb fell on the
pavement opposite number 16 about 12.20am from which six persons were
killed and seven injured.
At Haddon’s Court, Nicolson Street, an explosive bomb was dropped and
three persons injured.
An explosive bomb fell on the tenement at 69 St Leonards Hill killing a child
and injuring two people. In the King’s Park, northern portion, an incendiary
bomb was dropped.
In the King’s Park, southern portion, an explosive bomb was dropped, damaging
a boundary wall.
In the grounds of Prestonfield House, Prestonfield Road, an incendiary bomb
was dropped.
Source D - Zeppelin Raid: Fire Brigade Report
Edinburgh, April 1916
2nd April
The airship passed over the City from a northerly direction, passing south as far as
Causewayside district, returning after an interval of about twenty-five minutes to
the West End of the City. So far as can be ascertained incendiary bombs and
explosive bombs were dropped on the City. The following damages were caused:
Bellevue
An explosive bomb dropped in a vacant piece of ground at the rear of East Claremont
Street making a cavity of 10 feet x 6 feet. A corrugated shed building 45' x 20' was
demolished. Considerable damage was done to the masonry of a Board School, the
windows of which were destroyed. The windows in the front of seven buildings and in
the rear of five buildings in the vicinity were shattered.
3rd April
12:07am
School for Children with Skin Disease
A stone building of basement, 3 floors and slate roof. Basement and 2 floors used as
school, top floor as Janitor’s dwelling house. Building and contents partly wrecked
and roof destroyed. The windows of tenements and self contained houses were
destroyed and 25 shop fronts in Lauriston Place were wrecked. Janitor and family
brought to Headquarters for the night.
Royal Infirmary, Lauriston Place
An incendiary bomb was dropped in courtyard at the Boiler House near the chimney,
but caused no damage.
George Watson’s College, Archibald Place
An explosive bomb dropped in playground a few feet from the South front of the
College. All the windows on South front were destroyed and considerable damage
was done to masonry of building. The classrooms on the ground and first floors were
wrecked and interior of rest of building severely damaged by wreckage. Plate glass
windows on west side of Royal Infirmary Jubilee Wing were destroyed and back
windows in the houses on East side of Chalmers Street were shattered by this
bomb.
3rd April
12:18am
183 Causewayside
A stone and brick building of 5 floors, slated roof, used as tenements. 45 houses
occupied. 11 unoccupied. Building partly wrecked. There were 4 persons injured and
taken to the Royal Infirmary on motors. One woman, 71 years died during the day
from shock.
183 Causewayside
Macadam Laundry. Building of 2 floors, slated roof, used as laundry, partly wrecked
and glass in the windows of surrounding buildings destroyed.
3rd April
12:25am
30 Marchmont Crescent
An explosive bomb struck the roof and penetrated to the ground floor, through the
lobbies of each floor, wrecking the lobbies. This bomb failed to explode.
Belford Place
An explosive bomb dropped in Mill Lane damaging the windows and wrecking the roof
of a self-contained dwelling house. Explosive bomb dropped in open space behind
Donaldson's Hospital and Water of Leith. All the windows in Belford Place facing the
Water of Leith for 300 yards distant destroyed.
Coltbridge Gardens
An explosive bomb struck the masonry of the retaining wall along the bank of the
Water of Leith and the force of explosion demolished the out buildings and all
windows of three houses in Coltbridge Gardens.
County Hotel, Lothian Road
The bomb struck the roof wrecking the roof and two upper floors and staircase.
Considerable damage was done to the rest of the building and all the windows of the
Hotel were broken. Several adjoining buildings had windows wrecked.
Castle Rock
The bomb struck the rocks on the West side of the Castle, destroying some trees
and wrecking almost all the windows in the buildings in Castle Terrace.
White Hart Hotel, Grassmarket (North Side)
This is a building of five floors, ground floor used as a Public House, upper floors as
Hotel. The interior and contents of this building were wrecked by explosion. A cavity
9' x 6' was made in the ground in front of the building.
Corn Exchange, Grassmarket (South Side)
The whole of the windows in the Corn Exchange and the masonry of the front of the
building considerably damaged by fragments of bomb.
Grassmarket
Almost all the glass in the dwelling houses and shop fronts in Grassmarket were
destroyed and masonry damaged by fragments.
3rd April
12:45am
16 Marshal Street
A stone building of 4 floors, basement and attics, basement floor used as cellars,
ground floor as Dispensary, School and shops, remainder of building as dwelling
houses. Front of building and staircase on ground floor and basement were wrecked,
remainder of building badly shaken. 3 persons killed in this building were standing in
the open doorway on ground floor, facing street, when the bomb fell in front of the
door and also killed one man on the opposite side of the street.
Haddon's Court
A building of three floors 30' x 45' occupied as Wine Merchants Stores. The three
upper floors and roof were wrecked. The majority of the roofs and almost all the
glass in the buildings in Haddon’s Court, which forms a square, were destroyed.
69 St Leonard’s Hill
The bomb fell through the roof, wrecking the roof, top floor and staircase. A girl
was killed on top and her mother was severely injured. King’s Park, behind Usher’s
Bonded Stores The bomb struck the rock and made a cavity of 9’ in diameter – no
other damage.
King’s Park, behind St Leonard’s House
180 yards distant from where the previous bomb was dropped. This bomb struck the
dividing stone wall wrecking 20 feet of wall and making a cavity of 9ft in diameter in
the ground.
King’s Park, near Shepherd’s House
This bomb made a cavity in the ground about 12ft in diameter.
Bombs also fell in the following open places doing no damage –
Prestonfield Estate on grounds behind Lodge Gate,
28 Blacket Place, in garden,
Meadows, West side near Jawbone Walk,
Mound, in front of Black Watch Monument.
3rd April
1:20am
29 Chalmers Street
A large stone building of basement and 4 floors used as a Nursing Home. A quantity
of furniture in a back sitting room was destroyed by fire. Concussion of bomb
dropped from Zeppelin blew the fire out of the grate, setting the furniture alight
SOURCE E – Map of Locations of Bombs dropped 2nd-3rd April 1916
Source F –
WW1 Defences in the Firth of Forth
University of Edinburgh report, 2013
The Firth of Forth was a strategic area that needed to be heavily
defended in war time. At the western end of the Forth was Stirling,
the pivotal location for many of Scotland’s invasions from Bruce’s
time to the Jacobites. Heading eastwards was Rosyth, in 1914 the
home of the Royal Navy’s Battle Cruiser Squadrons. Then it was the
Forth Rail Bridge, an important link between the south and north of
Scotland during wartime. Further east again sits Scotland’s capital
Edinburgh and along both shores many ports and harbours essential
to Scotland’s mercantile trade and the fishing industry.
Since the late nineteenth century fortifications had been erected on
the islands in the Firth of Forth and shore batteries had been built
along the Lothian and Fife coasts.
Key to the defences was the island of Inchkeith which dominated the
Forth, but gun emplacements were also placed on the Forth islands
of Cramond, Inchmickery, Inchcolm and Inchgarvie. There were also
emplacements at North and South Queensferry
By 1914 the defences had evolved into three concentric lines of
defence. The inner one at the Forth Rail Bridge to protect Rosyth
had defences at Carlingnose at North Queensferry, Inchgarvie Island
under the bridge itself, and more emplacements at Dalmeny.
The next line of defence was Dalgety‐Inchcolm‐Inchmickery‐Cramond.
The outermost defences were centred on Inchkeith Island and there
were linked batteries at Leith and Kinghorn.
Each of these defensive rings were linked by telephone and telegraph
so any invaders who got past the first line of guns still h ad two
more lines to breach before they could get through to the bridge
and Rosyth.
The men who manned these guns in wartime were Territorials of the
Royal Garrison Artillery. Their HQ was Leith Fort, which was also
the Headquarters of the Royal Artillery in Scotland. The Forth Royal
Garrison Artillery had four batteries based in Edinburgh and two
more in Fife who drilled on the mainland and trained for war on the
islands.
Also on the islands were Royal Engineers who updated and maintained
the defences. A visible record still survives to this day of one of
the units who served on Inchcolm. 576 (Cornwall) Works Company,
Royal Engineers recorded that the tunnel built in 1916‐17 on the east
part of the island was their work.
To back up the guns, Territorial Force infantry, cavalry and artillery
brigades manned the coasts from Dunbar to Stirling and back up to
the Tay. In August 1914 the Territorial units of Edinburgh were all
sent to war stations along the Lothian coast either as part of the
Forth Defences or the Lowland Division.
Up until 1916 it was expected that any attack on the Forth would
come from the sea and the defences all pointed seawards.
On 2 April, 1916 the Germans launched a Zeppelin raid on Rosyth.
Unfortunately they bombed the city and port instead of the naval
dockyard.
From October, 1916, 77 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps patrolled
the Lothians and the Forth to see off any more Zeppelins. They
joined the Royal Navy Air Service aeroplanes flying from East
Fortune.
As part of the Forth defences the Royal Navy also employed airships
to see far out into the North Sea. At first they used the non‐rigid
blimps which would sit high above the Forth but by 1918 they were
using rigid airships to patrol far out into the North Sea looking for
German ships.
A German U‐Boat U‐21 nearly got to Rosyth in 1914 but that was the
only one. The Zeppelins only made one raid. It had been a long and
sometimes lonely existence for the gun crews on the Forth’s islands
but at the end of the war they could look back with some pride
that their defences had held firm.
Source G – Aerial Photograph
Source H – Map of Firth of Forth 1914
Source I – The Scotsman newspaper report
On 4 April, 1916, The Scotsman newspaper reported the previous Saturday’s Zeppelin raid and the effect of the
explosions.
The invader, flying at a great height, approached the town from an inland direction, and dropped bombs in rapid
succession in a line. The visit had been anticipated and trams had been stopped and the electric lights were
extinguished. The loud detonations awakened the inhabitants, many of whom went into the streets. An empty
tramcar was blown to fragments, and a tramway inspector was killed. Close by a hotel was much damaged. Many small
shops and other buildings suffered, and considerable damage was done to working class dwellings, several of which
were completely wrecked. One house collapsed, but the inmates escaped injury. In another case a bomb fell in a bed,
but did not explode. A well-known Magistrate, the leader of the local Labour party, was killed in the street.