Concerned about the safety of the British Royal Family, to whom he was related, the German Kaiser Wilhelm II had granted permission for aerial attacks on military and industrial buildings in Humberside, far away from London. At around 11am on the morning of 19 January three airships departed Germany.
One of the airships, L6, was forced to turn back after an engine malfunction. This left L3 and L4 to continue their mission. Having performed reconnaissance over the North Sea prior to nightfall, they headed towards the English coast but were forced to change course from their intended targets in Humberside due to bad weather. They consequently crossed over Norfolk shortly after 8.30pm.
Using incendiary bombs and flares to help to navigate in the darkness, L3 turned towards the seaside town of Great Yarmouth while L4 headed along the coast towards Kings Lynn. L3 dropped ten 110lb bombs and seven incendiary devices on the densely packed housing of St Peter’s Plain in Great Yarmouth, killing two people. Meanwhile, L4 dropped eleven bombs on Sheringham and King’s Lynn killing another two.
The four people killed in the attacks were all civilians, which served as a stark message about the changing nature of warfare in the 20th Century. The youngest victim was fourteen year old Percy Goate. In an inquest report his mother reported seeing the bomb drop through a skylight and on to the pillow where he was sleeping.