Deadly Zeppelin Bomb Drop Anniversary Marked

The moment a new terrifying form of warfare was unleashed on Britain is being marked in two services of remembrance 100 years on to the day.

On 19 January 1915 and under the cover of darkness, a German Zeppelin loomed over Great Yarmouth and dropped a bomb that would kill 72-year-old Martha Taylor and Samuel Smith, 53.

They were to be the country's first victims of aerial bombardment by airships during World War One.

But it was just the beginning of the assault from the skies that would bring the war to the doorsteps of civilians and leave 557 people dead.

"You can imagine at 8 o'clock at night on a cold windy January evening and a thing coming overhead with engines sounding like 20 motorcycles," said Dr Paul Davies from the Great Yarmouth Local History and Archaeological Society.

"You rush out of your house and you suddenly have this great airship looming over you, longer and wider than the street ...

"It brought the war home to people so because of this I think a lot of young men actually signed up to join the forces to try and protect their women and children at home."

Witnesses spoke of the 518ft (158m) airship flying so low it nearly clipped a church tower.

Another two people would be killed further west in King's Lynn that night.

It is thought Samuel Smith was in the street when the fatal bomb in Yarmouth was dropped.

His great great nephew, Graham Roberts, who still lives in the town, said: "I know he was a shoemaker and I imagine he was at work and became aware of a noise outside and came out to investigate."

His relative's death might be in the history books, but in 1915 it was played down - in fact only Mr Smith's mother and nieces are thought to have attended the funeral.

"Perhaps the authorities thought the general public may panic," said Mr Roberts. "We are an island race and live in splendid isolation and up until that air raid it wasn't perceivable that a danger could come from the skies."

But a century on, services are being held at Mr Smith's grave and then in St Peter's Plain where he and Martha Taylor lost their lives.

"I just wonder what Samuel Smith would think of it all," said Mr Roberts, who is attending the events.

"I think he might be rather bewildered and wonder what all the fuss was about. But I think he would be very happy to know his life and death is being memorialised 100 years after his passing."