The night of September 2/3 1916

Zeppelins began raiding Britain in late 1915 becoming seemingly invincible and causing much psychological damage to the civilian population. They were a formidable challenge to the Royal Flying Corps who initially found that their ammunition had little effect on the craft even if they were able to engage the aircraft. Standard .303 rounds just passed through the outer fabric and inner gas bags causing leaks but little else. Incendiary rounds were added to the magazines in order to try and ignite the hydrogen but this too failed. Eventually it was realised that although the incendiary rounds were passing through the gas bags there was insufficient oxygen to cause combustion. An explosive round was developed to tear open the gas bags and allow the hydrogen to mix freely with oxygen.

On the night of September 2/3 1916 Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson, flying a Royal Aircraft Factory BE2 converted to night fighter configuration, took off on a routine search and find operation. His aircraft carried magazines loaded with alternating incendiary and explosives rounds and over Woolwhich, southeast London, he made contact but lost the Zeppelin in cloud. Later, over Finsbury, he spotted another Zeppelin and made his attack. He had been airborne for some time and was low on fuel but being joined by two other aircraft he continued the engagement.

Leefe Robinson fired two complete drums of ammunition into the Zeppelin with zero results and broke off. He then made a third attack from astern firing his last drum. This time the airship burst into flame. Thousands of Londoners looked up and cheered as the airship plunged from the sky, eventually crashing into a field in Cuffley, Hertfordshire. Leefe Robinson had been aloft for 3.5 hours and was exhausted and numb with cold when he landed (and probably needed a pee too).

Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson was awarded a Victoria Cross for this action, the first of 19 awarded to the RFC during the first world war. He became something of a national hero and when asked about his VC he simply said: “ I only did my job”.

In 1917 Leefe Robinson was posted to France and when leading a flight of Bristol Fighters, was shot down along with three other airmen by a German flight lead by Manfred von Richthofen. Leefe Robinson was taken prisoner and when his identity was realised he was not treated well. He made four escape attempts and was eventually sent to the infamous Holzminden prison camp. He was one of the youngest and most brutalised prisoners and his health suffered.

Leefe Robinson returned to England after the war but by then he was desperately weak. He contracted influenza, his health deteriorated and on New Year’s Eve, Leefe Robinson died, aged just 23.