Book Preview: The Impact of Catastrophe

Today, at the excellent one-day conference entitled 'Sad Shires and Bugles', the Essex Record Office launched its new publication with author Paul Rusiecki giving a talk and signing his work over lunch.

'The Impact of Catastrophe' subtitled 'The people of Essex and the First World War (1914 - 1920)' fills a gap in hitherto published work.

"It shows, with copious references to contemporary material [Revd Reeve of Stondon Massey included], how the shadow of the Great War fell upon every aspect of life in the county. Dr Paul Rusiecki brings to life the experiences of those Essex people who sought to 'keep the home fires burning' in the face of shortages, blackouts and air raids [locally the Zeppelin raid of 31 March 1916]. He also traces the growth of the movement to commemorate those citizens of Essex who fought and died for their country in the 'war to end all wars'".

This looks to be a tremendous book. Soft cover, 464 pages.

"For more information, or to order, e mail: ero.enquiry@essexcc.gov.uk. Tel: 01245 244644."

Magdalen Laver: Blitz Of The Harvest Moon

‘The Blitz of the Harvest Moon’ (24 September to 1 October 1917) was the most intense period of German aid raids on London during the Great War. (see entry, ‘The First Blitz’, 12.9.08). Revd. Edward Reeve, Rector of Stondon Massey, wrote of his experience at the time dodging the shrapnel in Magdalen Laver. Knowing the places personally one can follow his footsteps that moonlit September evening. He wrote in his notes [ERO T/P 188/3]:

3rd October 1917

We have had a succession of nightly raids during the moonlit period.

The evening of Wed Sep 26 was cloudy. This kept off the Germans and we held a Harvest Thanksgiving Service at Stondon Church undisturbed by alarms!

On Saturday a number of the enemy appear to have got through to London and to have caused considerable damage. The loss of life and number of personal injuries is not perhaps so great as might have been expected, but the population has been instructed to take shelter, and numbers have been accommodated in underground shelters, and in the corridors of halls of our underground and “Tube” railways.

Guns have been greatly multiplied lately all round London, and here at Stondon we are nearly in the centre of a ring of fire, guns being placed at Epping, North Weald, Fyfield, Radley Green, Swallows Cross, Barretts Corner, Ingatestone, the nearer London suburbs and so round to Epping again. The danger for us is the dropping of our own shells.

On Sunday evening Sept 30 a Harvest Festival Service was held at Magdalen Laver Church and I was invited to preach the sermon. The moon was full, and there was a good congregation. I did not expect the probable Raid till past eight o’clock and most people elected to stay awhile in the building. I was to stay the night with Sir Godfrey Thomas at Wynters, and we had about 1½ mile to walk from the Church. We set out, and had reached the Rectory when the scream of the shells and the roar of the guns all round us suggested shelter there temporarily. A number of pedestrians followed our example. When, after half an hour or more we pursued our way we found in the solid granite highway a hole some 5 inches in diameter and a foot of more in depth made by a falling shell, and we were ready to admit that our delay has been dictated by prudence. Lady Thomas and the other ladies with us were not sorry I think when Wynters was safely reached at a little before nine o’clock. The bombardment lasted about an hour longer.

On Tuesday Oct 2nd we heard the heavy drone of German “Gothas” at mid-day, but understand that the raiders met a “warm reception” and returned without reaching London.

North Weald Airfield Museum

North Weald Airfield Museum is based at Ad Astra House, the former station office of RAF North Weald. The Flight Station was opened in 1916, two years before the designation of the Royal Air Force, and closed in 1964.

The Museum has five rooms. Room 1 covers the period 1916 to 1939; Room 2, the Battle of Britain; Room 3, the civilians at war; Room 4 is dedicated to the allies who were based at North Weald and Room 5, events post World War II including the Cold War.

The Flight Station opened in August 1916 and was manned by a wing of the 39 Squadron, part of the operation at Suttons Farm and Hainault. The Commanding Officer was Major T C R Higgins. Their objective was to prevent Zeppelin attacks on London by means of two hour patrols with small 80hp biplanes called BE2c’s. With no radio signal and rudimentary cockpit instruments this was dangerous work. (Remember that manned flight began only in 1903). It was in this craft that W Leefe Robinson, F Sowtrey and W J Tempest shot down three Zeppelins in flames (see entry, ‘Zeppelins Over Essex’, 29.8.08). Room 1 tells us that Tempest crash landed his plane at North Weald after shooting down the Zeppelin over Potters Bar.

Having lost air supremacy, the Germans responded the following summer with a more formidable force: the Gotha bi-planes attacked London in June and July 1917 (see entry, ‘First Blitz’, 12.9.08). The Gothas were able to fly at a much greater altitude which meant that the ‘planes North Weald had could not engage with the enemy. In September 1917 the airfield was equipped with Bristol Fighters but saw no action until the attack by Gothas on the night of 19 May 1918. Lieutenant Arkell flying a Bristol Fighter, and a Sopwith Camel flown by the 78 Squadron, engaged with a Gotha which was brought down at East Ham. That Whitsunday was the last air raid of the war over London. The Squadron moved to France that summer and was disbanded on 16 November 1918 following the Armistice.

The North Weald Airfield Memorial, is a Debt of Honour to the 250 people who died while stationed on the airfield. Visitors to the Museum are given a folded A3 card containing their names. Eight personnel died during the First World War.

The Museum is run by volunteers and is open at weekends during the summer. Follow this link for more information.
http://www.removablemedia.com/northweald/

Bibliography:
F W G Hitchcock. The History of the RAF at North Weald.

Book Review: First Blitz

Someone once said that “the first casualty of war is truth”. Neil Hanson is criticised by some reviewers of his new book ‘First Blitz’ for the claim that the Germans intended to raze London to the ground in 1918. The truth that the enemy never bombed Tower Bridge and the British side suppressed the reporting of the events of war in the newspapers illustrates the case well. But the German development of the ‘Elektron’ high incendiary bomb in the summer of 1918 never tested the resolve of Londoners because bad weather, the need for ‘planes elsewhere, the fear of British reprisals and the losses of the enemy on the Western Front caused attacks to be countermanded at short notice.

The First Blitz covered the period 25 May 1917 to 19 May 1918. Neil Hanson explains the raids in graphic detail told in the words of the German bombers in the Gotha aeroplanes and survivors on the ground who witnessed the bombs dropped and carnage caused. The first raid, in daylight over Folkestone, on the Friday before the Whitsun bank holiday, tells how shoppers marvelled at the sight of circling aeroplanes above only to become victim moments later. The planned attack on London had been aborted due to cloud.

Daylight air raids on London followed on 13 June and 7 July 1917 (witnessed by Revd Reeve: see entry ‘Chronicler of the Great War’, 15.8.08). Hanson describes how the Gothas were operating at the very limit of their capability in order to reach London, drop their cargo and return safely to base before the reserve supply of fuel ran out. Quite a number did not make it, either on the onward or return journey. Perfect weather conditions were required. The ‘planes took the shortest route over land to London over Foulness in Essex before turning over Epping Forest towards London. Blackmore and Stondon Massey lie underneath this course. Moonlight raids followed over an almost consecutive period from 24 September to 1 October caused the frightened public to demand for counter-attack. Had the ‘Blitz of the Harvest Moon’ been sustained, unrest and the fall of Government could have been possible.

Hanson puts the loss of life from the air raids into perspective: the attacks killed 836 and injured 1965. By comparison the losses on the Western Front exceeded that figure in a day. The fact that war was waged on civilians though crossed the boundary of acceptability.

British defences were ineffective against air raid attack. Indeed, looking at the Great War as a whole, it seems clear that Germany was equipped for war in the air whereas Britain regarded flying as a gentleman’s leisurely pursuit. Searchlights and gunfire from the ground were a futile and expensive attempt to bring down these aircraft from high altitude; indeed people were killed on the ground as a result of ‘friendly fire’ from flying shrapnel (See entry, ‘Blitz of the Harvest Moon’, 3.10.08). Until the development of the Sopwith Camel by the Allies, the Gothas (and later ‘Giants’) were no match.

In the enemy’s final raid of Whitsunday, 19 May 1918, aeroplanes capable of attack were scrambled from Sutton’s Farm (Hornchurch), Hainault, North Weald, Stow Maries and other airfields around the City’s perimeter.

At 436 pages, and containing almost 90 pages of notes and references, ‘First Blitz’ is a detailed but not heavy read of these times. It is a book for grown ups not the young or faint hearted.

Links to other reviews
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-1033369/1914-bombs-London.html
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=99426
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/books/Review-First-Blitz.4160733.jp
http://airminded.org/2008/07/25/acquisitions-65/

From The Telegraph: “The first sorties were mounted over eight successive nights in 1917. The following summer, as the war on the Western Front reached its climax, the bombers were back - this time armed with a fearsome new weapon - the Elektron bomb, an incendiary deliberately designed to create a city-consuming firestorm to rival Pepys's conflagration in 1666.
“Fortunately for London, the bombs were too unreliable, the bombers too few in number, and the London air defences - belatedly set up after the Zeppelin raids of 1916 - too effective, for the 'Fire Plan', as the Germans called their raid, to have the desired effect.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/06/22/bohan122.xml

‘First Blitz’ by Neil Hanson (Doubleday, 2008) is available in hardback. £17.99 (but can be found cheaper elsewhere – e.g. Amazon)

Book Review: Essex And Its Race For The Skies 1900-1939

Graham Smith charts the history of aviation, pre- and post World War One, from a local perspective devoting a chapter (entitled ‘When Death Rained From The Skies’) to the air raids by Zeppelins, and aeroplanes (the Gothas and Giants, otherwise known as ‘R-planes’).

Aviation was the hobby of gentlemen who became personalities. Britain lagged seriously behind the Germans in the development of craft and defence of the air. The opening of Flight Stations at Goldhanger, Suttons Farm (Hornchurch), North Weald, and Stow Maries came as a response to the fearful attacks by Zeppelins. Initially these airfields held a flight of six aeroplanes.

The book is illustrated with pictures of the aeroplanes, a Zeppelin, bomb damage at Braintree and reproduction postcard of Lieut. W Leefe Robinson, who brought down the Zeppelin at Cuffley.

‘Essex And Its Race For The Skies’ by Graham Smith (Countryside Books, 2007) is available in paperback. £10.99.