Online Collection

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'The "Robinson Touch" an impression by an eye witness, 20 miles away', 1916 (c)

Commercial postcard, World War One (1914-1918), 1916 (c). The card is captioned, 'L21, brought down in flames at Cuffley, Herts, by Flight-Lieut. Robinson, V.C., Sept 3rd 1916'.

Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson (1895-1918), Royal Flying Corps, shot down the German airship SL11, misidentified here as the Zeppelin L21 (LZ61), over Britain on 3 September 1916.

Searchlights highlight the flaming airship as it plummets to the ground.

Robinson was flying a converted BE2c aircraft over Cuffley, Hertfordshire, when he spotted the German airship SL11. He made an attack which caused the airship to burst into flames. Having demonstrated that the German airships were not invincible, he was awarded the Victoria Cross by King George V at Windsor Castle.

From the first of three photograph albums compiled by Sergeant Arthur John King 1/25th (County of London) (Cyclist) Battalion, The London Regiment, 1909 (c)-1918.

NAM Accession Number

NAM. 1972-05-81-1-36

Copyright/Ownership

National Army Museum, Out of Copyright

Location

National Army Museum, Study Collection

Object URL

https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1972-05-81-1-36