The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-09-06
VICTORIA. CROSS TO
ZEPPELIN COkQUEROR
Beardless Youth Brought Down First
Big Filler On Soil of
England.
IRON CROSS IN SHIPS DEBRIS
Turned Over to Lieutenant Robinson
As Memcnto of Heroic Decd--Had
Followed Trail of Ship for Twenty
= Miles

London, Sept. 5.--King George to-
day awarded the Victoria Cross to
Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson.
of the Royal Flying Corps. for bring
ing down Zeppelin which attempted
to raid London on Saturday night.
The announcement made by the off,
cial press bureau was the first hint
that the-aiF- invader was the victim
of a British flier instead of gun fire.
The press bureau states that the Vic
toria Cross was awarded TO Lieutenant
Robinson for most conspicuous brav-
cry"
Lieutenant Robinson is twenty-one
years old.
On Saturday night he was scouting
In an ordinary way, having been In
the air two hours alone in an aero
plane. When searchlights revealed
the presence of a Zeppelin he fol-
lowed the hostile craft for more than
twenty miles. Lieutenant Robinson
made his attack at close range. The
Zeppelin threw out great clouds of
smoke like the smoke curtain of a
torpedo boat destroyer, trying to
elude him, but he stuck to its trail
and diving beneath the giant gas bag
began firing his machine gun. His
shots hit the petrol tanks. which ex-
ploded, firing the gas bag.
Robinson quickly descended. mar
rowly avoiding a serious accident on
the way, and telephoned his report
to headquarters.
Then he was off In an automobile
to the scene Of the wreck,
Prior to his successful attack on
the Zeppelin Robinson had engaged
another OF the invading airships.
Early Sunday morning, when crowds
began to gather around the wreck
of the Zeppelin, Robinson was one
o. the spectators. He was standing
with his back toward the debris, chat
ting with brother officers when the
searching party which was examining
the wreckage discovered an iron cross.
Iron Cross Becomes His.
Pass the word to Robinson" said
the officer In command. and that was
the first any one outside of the cir
cles knew the young lieutenant was
the conquerer of the Zeppelin. The
Iron Cross found in the debris was
turned over to him. He will also re-
ceive about ST. offered in rewards
by various societies for the first Of
fcer to bring down a Zeppelin on
English soil.
The inquest today resulted In a
verdict that the Zeppelin was brought
down by an aeroplane manned by
Lieutenant Robinson At the inquest
an officer of the flying corps testified
that there was no means of identity
ing the half-burned bodies of the
Zeppelin's crew, the air sailors not
having worn the customary metal
naturalization disks There were
few charred personal effects includ-
ing a coat and a watch. Most OF the
metal buttons on the coat had been
melted by the intense heat. A police
officer testified to having seen three
burning bodies near the propeller of
the wrecked airship. They were still
burning when the airship came to
land. One OF the men had his legs
burned off and another his arms as
far as the elbows. In all sixteen
bodies were recovered. The telegraph
announces that they will be given
military funeral on Wednesday near
the scene of the airshp's fall.
Lieutenant Robinson took his
pilots certificate on his twentieth
birthday. He is the second British
aviator to bring down a Zeppelin.
On June I flight sub-IAeutant A. J.
Warnford, of the Canadian corps, de-
stroyed a Zeppelin at a height of
5000 feet between Client and Brus-
sells He was awarded the Victoria
cross
A few days later while flying near
| Paris with Henry Neach Needham an
| American magazine writer, he fell to
earth and both were killed.