After we finished the event at Hendon this evening, myself, Mr Williams and Mr Poole travelled to Stanmore, where Captain William Leefe Robinson VC is buried. Born in Coorg, South India, 14 July 1895, he went on to join the RFC transferring from the Worcestershire Regiment, starting as an Observer but ended up as a pilot flying Be2c nightfighters out of Sutton Farm with 39 Squadron, and shot down Schutte Lanz Airship SL11 (also known as Zeppelin L12, and I have been fortunate enough to handle a piece of the wreckage from it), the first ‘Zepp’ to be shot down at night, and beginning the end of the Zeppelin peril.
In April 1917, he was posted to 48 Squadron who were flying the new Bristol F2a Fighters, as a Flight Commander, and unfortunately on the Bristol’s first ever debut over the German lines they were set upon by Richtofen’s Circus, with the Bristol’s taking a heavy mauling (although this was soon to change as more aggressive tactics using the Bristol Fighters were adopted).
He was wounded and taken prisoner, however suffered badly in German prisoner of war camps, like many, and unfortunately died of illness contracted in the PoW camp on 31 December 1918 in Stanmore.
HE WAS THE FIRST AIRMAN TO ATTACK A ZEPPELIN AFTER A MOST DARING SINGLE HANDED FIGHT HE BROUGHT DOWN L21 A FLAMING WRECK AT CUFFLEY ON THE 3rd SEPTEMBER 1916 THUS HE LED THE WAY AGAINST THE GERMAN ZEPPELIN PERIL THREATENING ENGLAND
ONE WHO NEVER TURN’D HIS BACK BUT MARCH’D BREAST FORWARD, NEVER DOUBTED CLOUDS WOULD BREAK, NEVER DREAM’D THOUGH RIGHT WERE WORSTED, WRONG WOULD TRIUMPH, HELD WE FALL TO RISE, ARE BAFFLED TO FIGHT BETTER, SLEEP TO WAKE
GOD QUICKENETH THE DEAD AND CALLETH THOSE WHICH BE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE
Rest in peace Captain Leefe Robinson
By: PeterVerney - 1st January 2013 at 20:38
When I joined 39 Sqdn in 1952 we were given the history of the sqdn which was formed as a home defence sqdn to combat the German airships. Seemed apt that it was a nightfighter sqdn then, one of the very first. It is extremely hard to imagine the tenacity and endurance needed by those men, flying, in open cockpits, at extremes of the aircrafts performance, in order to combat these huge airships. Then they had to find a safe night landing 😮
By: Andy in Beds - 1st January 2013 at 20:23
I stand very much corrected.
Thanks for that Rob.
Has anyone here ever photographed the Leefe-Robinson memorial in Cuffley–site of the crash of SL11..?
Andy.
By: Rlangham - 1st January 2013 at 20:21
He’s in Elms Road Graveyard (not All Saints Churchyard as mentioned in other places, which is across the road), Harrow Weald, nearest tube station is Stanmore and about 10-15 minutes drive from RAFM Hendon.
To be precise he’s right in the southern corner of the graveyard one or two graves back from the path where it comes through the hedge off Elms Road. About 100 metres away is the William Leefe Robinson VC Steakhouse, which has relics of the SL11 and a superb wall high copy of a photo showing William Leefe Robinson and his RFC Squadron mates after he shot down the airship, which is fantastic. Despite a few changes of ownership it’s kept the name, thanks in part at least to public pressure I believe. A real hero of mine, I heartily reccommend ‘The Airship VC’ by Raymond Laurence Rimell.
By: Andy in Beds - 1st January 2013 at 20:21
Gary.
He is buried at All Saints’ Churchyard Extension in Harrow Weald. There used to be a pub next door to the churchyard named after him, but I think the last time I went that way it had changed it’s name.
It’s part of a chain–one or other of those featureless restaurant/pubs.
Andy
By: trumper - 1st January 2013 at 20:13
🙂 Very interesting thread.Where is his grave?
By: Lazy8 - 1st January 2013 at 20:09
My grandfather watched the airship come down. It obviously made a great impression on him, as this was the only story he would tell of the Great War period, and he was far from short of stories from other times.
By: The Blue Max - 1st January 2013 at 19:23
And of course WLR was flying a BE2 when he won his VC 🙂 He was also an instructor at RFC Rendcomb.
By: Andy in Beds - 1st January 2013 at 19:06
Dave.
you may well be correct.
It’s just that I thought someone I know in America interviewed him not long before he died.
I’ll check my facts.
Andy
By: G-ASEA - 1st January 2013 at 18:57
I thought he live at his thatched house in Billington until he died. I worked on his roof once. He is buried in the church yard there. I shall have to ask a friend of mine, who is a friend of Tim’s family. He also has a copy of his book.
Dave
By: Andy in Beds - 1st January 2013 at 18:52
Dave.
I think the book you’re thinking of was ‘Cage Birds’.
I’ve been after a copy for a while but it isn’t that easy to get hold of.
I think Tim Hervey may have spent his last years in the American mid-west.
Andy
By: G-ASEA - 1st January 2013 at 18:39
William Leefe Robinson was a POW with Tim Hervery of 60sdn. Tim Hervery was later the first chief instrutor at the London Gliding Club in the 1930’s. He wrote a book about being a POW. Which i have read but forgoten the title? Robinson and Hervey had both tried to escape a few times. I believe that the book was use in training aircrews in ww2. In the art of evading.
Dave
By: Andy in Beds - 1st January 2013 at 17:58
Well done Mr L.
WLR was leading a six aircraft flight of No. 48 Squadron consisting of the (then) very new two seat Bristol F2.a when he ran into Jasta 11 on April 5th 1917.
The story goes that the pilots handled the Bristols like conventional two-seaters, whereas the Bristol could be flown like a fighter and used much more aggressively.
I’m never quite sure of the complete validity of that story though.
I think a German NCO pilot, Sebastian Festner, received credit for downing Leefe-Robinson’s aeroplane.
Andy.
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