Middlesbrough Air raid on postcard 1915 ?

[BULLDOGFOGG]

Ive just been going through my patriotic postcard collection and noticed that on the back of one of my cards, the author refers to an air raid in Middlesbrough. The postcard is marked 1915, can anyone give me some more detail on this raid ??

Kevin

[Dolphin]

Kevin

Middlesborough may have been overflown by raiding airships in 1915 but, as far as I can tell from quick reads through the standard references, it wasn't bombed until the next year. Does your postcard have a definite date?

On the night of 1/2 April 1916 two German Navy Zeppelins, the L11 and L17 raided northern England; they had set off to bomb London, but weather conditions made them divert northwards. The L11, commanded by Korvettenkapitän Viktor Schütze, came in over Seaford Harbour at 2305, and dropped 27 bombs around Sunderland, before flying south for a smaller attack on the Middlesborough area. After that, L11 departed over Saltburn at 0030. L17 had to jettison its bombs in the sea before turning back with major engine problems (a broken propeller shaft).

The raid caused the death of 22 people, while 130 people were injured and ₤25568 worth of damage resulted. A 6inch gun at Fulwell Quarry fired one round at L11, but it missed. Four RNAS and three RFC aircraft took off in defence missions, but weren't able to locate the raider. L11 returned to Nordholz about 0900 on 2 April.

I hope this helps

Gareth

[BULLDOGFOGG]

Gareth,

The date stamp is 10 Sept 1915, the text of the message is as follows:

" Dr Jack, I am leaving here at 8am in the morning we have heard of the air raid on Middlesbro are you all ofe. We are all well hope you all are same. Yours Offy."

Could this have been the Hartlepool U boat attack ? When was that ? Maybe a case of chinese whispers as Arkengarthdale (where the card was sent from) is well up into the North Yorkshire dales.

It does turn a rather plain patriotic bulldog postcard into an intriguing item though !!

Regards

Kevin

[Dolphin]

Kevin

I think that your postcard-writer may have been referring to the raid on Skinningrove by the Naval Zeppelin L9 on the night of 8/9 September 1915.

Three Naval Zeppelins, L9 (Kapitänleutnant Odo Loewe) L13 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Mathy) and L14 (Kapitänleutnant Aloys Böcker) set out for the UK on 8 September. L9 headed for the north, while the other two went to London. L9 crossed the coast over Whitby at 2115 and then turned to attack the Benzol works at Skininngrove, which he did at 2135. Loewe wasn't sure of the factory's location, but his bombs hit it anyway, though causing little damage; the bombs either failed to explode or missed the 45000 gallon fuel storage tanks. L9 crossed the coast on its return journey at about 2145.

Three RNAS aircraft (a Caudron G.III and two BE 2cs) from Redcar tried to intercept the raider, but without success.

Looking at the map, I see that Middlesborough and Skinningrove aren't very far apart, and I suppose that the story of the raid may have become understandably confused. Perhaps the media of the day referred to the bombed area as 'near Middlesborough' or something similar. Does that sound plausible?

Regards

Gareth

[Bob Coulson]

Gareth,

You are quite correct, Middlesbrough and Skinningrove are only about ten miles apart I live roughly half way between the two.

Have re-read the relevant pages in Middlesbrough's Effort in the Great War and quote the following,

"Only on one occasion did the enemy drop bombs in the Borough of Middlesbrough and that was at Cargo Fleet on the night of 1st April 1916.

Two bombs were dropped in a field adjoining the railway and close to the Crown Hotel.

Within a radius of 225 yards one hotel, one school, two shops and 115 houses were damaged, two men also recieved slight injuries."

Reading on it appears Middlesbrough's blackout of the blast furnaces and the fact that Hartlepool was easier to locate for the enemy seems to have spared the town and its industry.

Bob.