h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

When the first Zeppelin was shot down by Leefe-Robinson it landed on the small village of Cuffley (Hertfordshire) and the flames were visibleright across London. Hordes of people came to see it and many reportedly ended up moving to Cuffley because they liked it there so much.

Today there is a memorial to the event situated on the East Ridgeway close to the location where it landed. Pieces of the Zeppelin can still be found in back gardens and fields in the area where it landed.

Thanks for that.

Leefe-Robinson himself didn't do so well. He was shot down in an early version of the Bristol fighter (before they used it as a fighter) in 1917 and spent the rest of the War as a PoW. He died of Influenza in the great pandemic shortly after the cessation of hostilities.

I remember his niece (I believe) Virginia giving a talk at my primary school on an anniversary of the event and we were told a whole lot of stuff about him and the shooting down of the Zeppelin. Sadly I can remember none of it at all!

For those interested, Yeovilton (FAA museum) have the fuselage of Warneford's aircraft, which actually brought down the first Zeppelin.
Note "brought down" not shot down - he used a bomb to do it (before landing with a faulty engine and repairing it with his pipe stem IIRC).

It was a rather hit or miss affair. He didn't set ut with the intention of hitting an airship, just the sheds that housed them. Very British.

There are some very interesting artifacts concerning Leefe-Robinson in the museum based in the Purfleet Gunpowder Magazine, Essex. It is a very interesting museum and should be visited if you want to see some of his personal effects. The museum covers WW1 and WW2 for war and home problems in war time. The location is on the River Thames not far from the Royal Hotel at Purfleet.