Zeppelin Story

The Old Man in Jacksons Lane
By Roger Whisken

German Graves at Great Burstead
Basildon Heritage

I lived just near the top of Jacksons Lane. My parents bought a new house being built by a firm called Moodys. I guess this would have been around 1959-60 and down the lane just before the bridge there was a compound with ex racing greyhounds and next to that an allotment.

I used to go to the allotment and sit and talk to a old boy who used to sit at his plot carving carnations  out of bits of tree branches. He always had a jacket, tie and waistcoat on and he told me about the Zeppelin crashing at the bottom of Jacksons Lane. He also told me that he had carved his walking stick out of one of the propellers. When I was older I went to the church to see the Germans’ grave but I didn’t realise there were 22 of them.

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  • Yes I remember being told about the zeppelin, I was told it had been hit over London first, then got caught by search lights and the guns at Brentwood shot it down.

    By Michael Hirst (03/03/2024)

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