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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0766.PDF
[/OGHT] at a terrific pace. But the mammoth appeared to be a huge mass of flame supported by a parachute. When yet some five thousand feet up, the light, especially at the lower end, turned to a brilliant ruby, lightening away through crimson and pink to an incandescent white at the top, the following flames, above, being pale yellow. Just at that moment there was a crackling as of exploding ammunition, or it might have been from the twisting of the girders, or the breaking of timber. Then she disappeared SEPTEMBER 7, lojg. behind the trees with a crash, and a final flare flashed up. I need not mention the cheers, they echoed through out the whole of London,'but in the district where I stood, w^e had another burst all on our own, as three coloured lights sprang into being and hung motionless in the sky, for we knew them for the guiding lights for the returning victorious airman or airmen. Such is the story, given exactly as I saw it. As to time, I should judge the whole period during which she was under my notice 4s about fifteen minutes. ZEPPELINISMS. THREE Iron Crosses were picked up in the wreckage, and one of them, together with a revolver, passed into the posses sion of Lieut. Robinson. A gold cross was also found, THE storekeeper at Hill P'arni Cottage, near where the Zeppelin fell, was not disturbed in his sleep by the crash. ONE of the propellers fell a couple of hundred yards away from the main wreckage, just missing a small church on the edge of the field. f THE charred remains of the 16 victims were placed in this small mission church at Cuffley, being accorded a funeral at PottersBar of a military character, attended by a detachment of the R.F.C., on Wednesday. Let us hope this will be interpreted at its true value as being an honourable tribute individually to men who, under superior orders, were doing what was necessarily their duty ; not as an indication that we, in any shape or form, approve the form of warfare to which the Germans have illegitimately devoted their airships. In fact, quite the contrary. AN inquest was held on Monday evening to inquire as to who 16 men of the crew of the wrecked airship L 21 met their deaths, and the jury's findings were : (1) That on Sep tember 3rd 16 unknown German airmen were found dead in a wrecked Zeppelin airship. (2) That this airship was brought down by a British aeroplane, piloted by Lieut. Robinson. (3) That the cause of their death was injuries, the result of the destruction of the Zeppelin. A CLOCK was found intact among the wreckage. The hands indicated that it had stopped at ten minutes past three. Was this by Berlin time, sun time or British clock time ? FOUR six-cylinder engines were found among the wreckage. WHEN it was possible to approach the wreck the body of an officer was found with his left hand on a steering wheel, but his right hand had been torn away. THE glare of the conflagration when the airship turned into a vertical position was seen at Southend, 37 miles away. PEOPLE living near expected to hear a great crash when the wreck struck the ground, but one who was near states there was little noise beyond the crackling of the burning wood and the explosion of 'small-arm ammunition. A contingent on the way to the scene where the raider " alighted." 762
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