Photo: Vin Mullen
Dearly beloved husband of
Jane Lane
Died June 15th 1915
Aged 67 years
On Tuesday 15th June 1915 Zeppelin LZ40 (L10) commandeered by Kapitan Leutnant Hisch crossed the coast north of Blyth and headed directly for Wallsend where bombs were dropped on the Marine Engineering Works causing severe damage. 7 Heavy Explosive and 5 Incendiary Bombs then fell on Palmer's Works at Jarrow where 17 men died and 72 were injured. North of the river again, bombs fell at Willington where they damaged Cookson's Antimony Works and Pochin's Chemical Works and several houses. A policeman [Robert Telford] died at Willington Quay.
The L10 then headed for the sea dropping bombs on Haxton Colliery and South Shields on the way. It flew over Palmer’s Shipyard about 11.40pm and dropped bombs which killed 17 persons and injured 72.
There is a Memorial with 12 names on, at one time in the Stirling Foundry in Jarrow, once part of the Palmer's Shipyard.
The report of the bombing must [was] have been highly censored at the time, having just a few lines in the Shields Gazette on Thursday 17/06/1915. It just stated that 16 were killed, which included a policeman, and 40 injured when a Zeppelin bombed Jarrow.
On Friday 18th in the Shields Gazette there was another small column regarding the inquest which noted the following 14 had been killed in the yard:
Albert Bramley 54,
Matthew Carter 55,
Karl Johan W. Kalnin 22,
Joseph Lane 67 (Marine Engineer)
Robert Thomas Nixon 32,
Frederick Pinnock 31,
Lawrence Frazer Sanderson 16,
Thomas Henry Smith 23,
Ralph Snaith 48,
William Stamford 40,
Joseph Beckwith Thornicroft 31,
William Grieves Turner 20,
John George Windle 27,
William Ernest Cook Young 16.
Ann Isabella Laughlin 62 living near to the yard, died from shock.
There was an inquest for a policeman (no name given) who was killed over in Willington Quay.
These two died later from their wounds:
John Cuthbert Davison 31 (Fitter and Turner)
George Ward 18 (Apprentice Fitter and Turner).
The Zeppelin LZ40 (L10) was destroyed by lightning off Neuwerk Island in Germany on 3rd September 1915.
