Marking the 110th Anniversary of 23rd and 24th September 1916
On the night of 24 September 1916, the skies over Essex were lit by searchlights, tracer fire, and the glow of burning hydrogen. Two German airships — Zeppelin L32 and Zeppelin L33 — crossed the county on what would become their final missions. Today, 110 years later, their story still echoes across the villages where these giants of the air came down.
Combined Military Services Museum is marking the 110th anniversary of the L32 and L33 Zeppelin crashes which took place over the night of 23rd and 24th September 1916 with a special display of artefacts and souvenirs from these events, which led to the deaths of one crew, and the capture and imprisonment of the other, in the only known example of an enemy military force marching through England, during either world war.
Why Zeppelins Came to Britain
By 1916, the First World War had reached a brutal stalemate. Germany sought new ways to strike at Britain’s morale and industry. Under Korvettenkapitän Peter Strasser, the Imperial German Navy deployed long‑range Zeppelins to bomb towns and cities across the country. These “super‑Zeppelins” were extraordinary machines:
They were intended to be unstoppable.
The L32: Shot Down Over Great Burstead : A Mission Interrupted
The Zeppelin L32, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Werner Peterson, crossed the Channel aiming for London. Searchlights and anti‑aircraft fire forced it off course, and it dropped bombs near Aveley and South Ockenden.
The Attack
Two Royal Flying Corps aircraft intercepted the airship. Second Lieutenant Frederick Sowrey fired into the mid‑section, igniting the hydrogen. The L32 became a blazing fireball, falling near Snail’s Hall Farm, Great Burstead. All 22 crew members were killed.
Local resident Frederick Rayner saw the burning airship pass low over Billericay High Street. He reached the wreckage first, helping to lay out the bodies in a nearby barn — later known as Dead Men’s Barn. The crew were buried at Great Burstead Churchyard, later reinterred at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery.
The L33: Crash Landing at Little Wigborough: A Damaged Airship Over Essex
The L33, commanded by Kapitän‑Leutnant Alois Bocker, carried out a separate raid over Upminster, Hornchurch, Woolwich, and West Ham. Damaged by ground fire and losing gas rapidly, the crew threw out ballast, equipment, and weapons — many later found in gardens across Essex.
The Crash Landing
Shortly after midnight, the L33 crash‑landed near Little Wigborough, blocking the lane to the church and narrowly missing nearby homes. The crew set the airship alight to prevent British capture.
A Remarkable Surrender
In an extraordinary moment in British history, Bocker and his 21 crewmen marched in formation through local lanes seeking a boat. They were intercepted by Special Constable Edgar Nicholas, joined by other officers including PC Charles Smith, who later received a medal for his handling of the situation.
The crew were held overnight in West Mersea Church Hall — believed to be the only time a hostile force marched in formation on British soil during either World War.
Local Memories and Lasting Impact
The crash sites drew thousands of visitors. Children picked blackberries beside the fallen airship; families retrieved small souvenirs; and one local doctor even suggested naming a newborn baby “Zeppelina.”
For Essex communities, the events of that night brought the global conflict directly into quiet rural parishes. For Britain, the destruction of L32 and L33 marked a turning point: improved aircraft and defences made Zeppelin raids increasingly dangerous and ultimately unsustainable.
Further Reading
