London’s First Zeppelin Raid (Online stream)

London’s First Zeppelin Raid (Online stream)

An illustrated talk by Ian Castle. Drawing on original documents and with personal stories of those caught up in the raid that night.

By The London Archives

Date and time

Thursday, May 22 · 4:30 - 5:30am PDT

Location

Online

Refund Policy

Refunds up to 7 days before event

About this event

  • Event lasts 1 hour

Ten months into the Great War and the feared onslaught on London by Germany’s much-vaunted fleet of airships – Zeppelins – had failed to materialise. There was sympathy for those affected by air raids in East Anglia, Essex and north-east England, but these were far away and easy for Londoners to ignore. Then, shortly after 11.00pm on a quiet Monday night at the end of May 1915, all that changed. That night a Zeppelin appeared over the city – the war had finally come to London.

Relying heavily on original documents, interspersed with the personal stories of those caught up in the raid that night, Ian Castle’s illustrated talk explores in detail those terrifying 30 minutes, 110 years ago when, for the very first time, London’s civilians found themselves on the front line.

Ian Castle is the author of numerous books detailing Germany’s air campaign against Britain in the First World War, including Zeppelin Onslaught – The Forgotten Blitz 1914-1915.


IMPORTANT: This page is for tickets to the online stream of this event only. Please see the 'in-person' page for this event for tickets to attend on-site at The London Archives, in Clerkenwell.

Frequently asked questions

Tell me more about my donation.

Thank you for your support! A small donation can make a big difference to our work to preserve and share London's archives by helping us to deliver outreach and learning activities, develop free exhibitions and care for the collections.

Can I attend this talk in person?

This page is for tickets to the online stream of this event only. Please see the 'in-person' page for this event for tickets to attend on-site at The London Archives, in Clerkenwell.

Tags

Organized by

The London Archives

The London Archives is a free public archive focussing on the history of London, from 1067 to the present day. We preserve and share millions of historical manuscripts, maps, photographs, books which tell the story of the city. You can find us in central London in Clerkenwell, close to Farringdon Station.

It's free to visit and use the archives and many of our exhibitions and events are free to attend. The London Archives is funded and managed by the City of London Corporation. We opened as The London Archives in August 2024 and were previously known as London Metropolitan Archives.

Find us in leafy Clerkenwell, close to Farringdon and Angel tubes, where we look after a vast and unique collection of manuscripts, maps, photos, books and films that tell the story of London, right back to 1067. If you haven't visited an archive before, we're a bit like a library or museum, but with millions of unique historical documents waiting to be explored; you choose what we want to see and we put the history of London in your hands. Not everyone has time to research though, so our exhibitions and events program delves into the archives and presents the fascinating history of the capital for you to enjoy. We're open to everyone, whether you’re visiting an exhibition, joining a history talk or tracing your family history. Browse our program and start discovering London's history today.

Free