Today the British Library have made newly digitised material from World War I available online . We explore some of the collection’s eye-opening essays written by children about Zeppelin attacks in 1915.
During World War I the Germans carried out 12 airship raids on London and many aeroplane attacks, killing some 530 people.
Circa 1915: A German Zeppelin ascending from its base for a raid on London.
Hulton Archive / Getty
The boys of Princeton Street Elementary School, London, were aged between 5 and 14 when the Zeppelin attacks took place. Some of the boys recorded their recollections of the airship raids.
Their accounts reveal how unexpected the raids were and how unprepared Britain was to deal with the new threat. Most of the boys were getting ready for bed or playing out on the street when the Zeppelins arrived - Londoners had no prior warning of either of the attacks on 8 September or 13 October 1915.
Read the transcripts from this unique collection of essays, revealing the terror of a German Zeppelin attack through a child's eyes.
The British Library
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