The Great War of 1914 to 1919

Civilian victims of the Zeppelin L-16 raid of 1916
The six civilian victims are at the bottom of this page



The first Zeppelin raid on Bury St.Edmunds took place on the night of 29th/30th April 1915 at around 00:45. Several buildings were badly damaged, but happily no lives were lost.
The airship was LZ38, commanded by Hauptmann Erich Linnarz. Having dropped incendiary bombs on Ipswich and then Bramford, she reached Bury St.Edmunds where she circled several tmes before dropping 3 HE and 40 incendiary bombs. The worst damage was caused on the Butter market where Day's Boot Makers and 3 adjoining premises were gutted by fire. The only casualty was a dog.
This particular Zeppelin was an Army one (LZ) whereas the airship that raided in 1916 was L16, a Navy Zeppelin. LZ38 was eventually destroyed by a bombing raid on her home base at Brussels-Evere a week after its London raid [31st May 1915].

On the night of the 31st March/1st April 1916, "P" class Zeppelin L16, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See, Werner Peterson, based at the Zeppelin base at Hage on the German North Sea coast had bombed Ipswich and now approached Bury St.Edmunds.
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A "P" Class Zeppelin


Chris Mycock of the St.Edmundsbury Museum has worked out the probable route over Bury St.Edmund as per the map below.

based on research by Chris Mycock


Blue plaque at 50 St.Andrew's Street South


Having dropped a bomb near the railway line across Eastgate Street, a bomb blew the roof off the King of Prussia pub and 2 more fell in the garden of St.Mary's Vicarage in Prussia Lane. Henry Adams and 3 of his sons had gone out to check on a horse, passing the Vicarage as the bombs exploded. Henry and 15 year old son George Kimberley Adams were both killed. Next the airship headed north, turning 180 degress over the allotments just south of the railway line and releasing more bombs in the area of Durbar Terrace/Springfield Road. Then, along the line of Chalk Lane where soldier Hubert Hardiment, home on leave, was killed when 2 bombs landed at the rear of Beaconsfield Terrace as he was going out to see what was happening. Hubert is detailed in the military part of this chapter. Then to the junction with King's Road and Mill Road. Nos. 74 and 75 Mill Road were next hit. Mrs Annie Dureall, wife of a serving soldier was killed, together with two of her children, James and Catherine. Her other children were seriously injured but survived. Next door, 44 years old Harry Frost was in the garden, and died two days later from his injuries.
After this the Zeppelin headed east again, dropping a single HE bomb on a tram shed in Lowestoft, before heading off home across the North Sea.

The same Zeppelin and Commander bombed Newmarket on the 23rd/24th April 1916, happily killing no-one apart from one horse.
After 44 reconnaissance missions and 12 attacks on England, dropping 18,048 kg (39,789 lb) of bombs, L16 was damaged beyond repair during a training mission at Nordholz Naval Airbase on 19 October 1917

ADAMS, Henry

.....60 years old

ADAMS, George Kimberley.

..... Henry's 15 years old son

FROST, Harry

.....44 years old

DUREALL, Annie.

.....25 years old mother

DUREALL, James

.....Annie's 5 years old son

DUREALL, Kathleen

.....Annie's 3 years old daughter


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