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From: Frederick Feather <>
Subject: Zeppelin at Wigborough
Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 07:49:52 +0100
References: <00a001c2157a$a7b14040$85f10250@ColleenMorrison>
In-Reply-To: <00a001c2157a$a7b14040$85f10250@ColleenMorrison>


Dear Colleen,

To the best of my knowledge Zeppelina is still alive and living in
School Lane, Wickham Bishops. She should be 84. Dr Salter also called a
baby Eclipse. We never had a senior officer called Trim. The entire crew
of L33's 21 sailors was captured and returned to Germany at some stage.
There is a Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshaven on Lake Constance that I
sent all the details to years ago, including a photograph of the crew.
The Essex Police Museum may also still have copies, see their Martyn
Lockwood leaflet "Somewhere over Essex".

The crew of L32 were all killed by falling at Billericay and buried in
Little Burstead Churchyard, but because of the preponderance of Nazi
salutes in the churchyard in the 1930's they were moved to the German
War Cemetery at Cannock in Staffordshire. You can still see the shape
where the mass grave was.

Am I being helpful?

Fred,
Chairman,
Essex Society for Family History.




In message <00a001c2157a$a7b14040$>, Colleen
<> writes
>23rd September 1916. Dr Salter's Diary records:
>
>'...my servants rapped me up in the early part of the night saying ... there
>was a Zeppelin on fire in the Sou'-west...I jumped out of bed, looked out of
>my sou west window, and there I saw, in the distance, in the direction of
>London, a big burning globe in the sky, which on watching it a little while,
>disappeared like a big rocket of falling stars.'
>
>It turned out to be the first of two Zeppelins which fell that night. Dr
>Salter is later woken again to go and deliver a daughter to the wife of
>'Clarke of Abbotts Hall, Wigborough'. Hardly out of bed, Dr Salter is told
>by Trim, chief constable at Mersea that he must forget that and go and
>attend to farmer Wright who, spooked by the sight of the second Zeppelin
>crash, had been badly smashed in a motor bike accident. Salter passes the
>second Zeppelin, lying in a massive, crumpled heap like 'burning Crystal
>Palace' in fields at New Hall Farm, Wigborough. He recalls that three of the
>Zeppelin crew who survived the crash, walked into Peldon and brazenly asked
>constable Edgar Nicholas for directions to Colchester. The constable
>promptly arrested them!
>
>Little Wigborough church was presented with a piece of the Zeppelin, which
>is still displayed above it's tower arch, Gt Wigborough church has a
>contemporary newspaper article, framed in a piece of the Zeppelin too also
>photos of the crash and other material. The book, 'Around Maldon' has a
>contemporary drawing of the crew being apprehended by what appears to be
>every man, woman and child in Wigborough - though contemporary accounts say
>it was all down to 6-7 special constables from the village. 'Around Maldon'
>also has a photo of these constables having a well earned pint outside a
>Wigborough beerhouse. Who were they? They apparently received commemorative
>watches (Around Maldon has a photo of Nicholas's) - were they also decorated
>for bravery?
>
>Are there listers researching any of the above and can anyone throw any
>light on the following? The pilot of Zeppelin L33, was Loys Bocker - was he
>one of the three that survived the crash? Does any one know what happened
>to the surviving Zeppelin crew?
>
>Dr Salter records that he suggested that the Clarke baby, a girl, should be
>called Zeppelina. Was she?
>
>Best wishes,
>
>Colleen
>
>
>
>The churches of Gt and Little Wigborough
>
>______________________________

--
Frederick Feather

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