Rushden Research Group: Air Raid WWI

Rushden Echo, 10^th March 1916, transcribed by Gill Hollis

The Recent Air Raid

In the Rushden and Higham Ferrers district on Sunday night last, in common with many other parts of the country, the news was received that Zeppelins had been sighted. Services at the churches were brought to an early close, and lights were soon extinguished. It subsequently appeared that during the night three Zeppelins raided England, and paid a visit to eight counties, the area including Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, Rutland, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Kent, Essex and Norfolk. In all, about ninety bombs were dropped, and the casualties, according to the latest returns, were seventy. Nine men, four women and five children were killed outright or have since died from injuries received, besides which 22 men, 22 women and eight children were injured. Two terraces of houses were completely destroyed; one office and several houses were badly damaged; and a café, a public house, an office and several shops and houses were practically destroyed. No military damage was done. A portion of a Zeppelin propeller was found on Wednesday, which indicates that one of the raiders was struck by our gunfire.