Engine trouble forced the commander of L22, Kapitänleutnant Martin Dietrich, to abandon London and to turn towards the Humber. He reached Mablethorpe at 0100 and then turned north, dropping 26 bombs on Humberstone at about 0130; he only damaged a farmhouse. L22 then dropped six high explosive bombs on Cleethorpes, killing 29 soldiers from the 3rd Manchesters who were billeted in a chapel, and wounding 53. After that, L22 crossed the coast at Spurn Head, where it was fired on by a paddle minesweeper moored in the Humber. Zeppelin Raid over Cleethorpes Lincs Zeppelin airship drops bombs on the resort Just after midnight and lights had been put out in the Baptist Chapel on Alexandra Road, where men from the Manchester Regt; had been billeted that same day. The Zeppelin approached the town and turned,, as if to head away over the river, then turned again and suddently there was a flash, closely followed by others. The first was a direct hit on the chapel, 31 N.C.O.'s and menof the 3rd Battalion were killed. Volunteers manned the stretchers that carried the victims out of the devasted building into the waiting ambulances and, as each one was removed the stretchers were tipped over, leaving a stream of blood running down the butters a Gruesome sight for those in attendence. The commander of the German Zeppelin L21, Martin Dietrich, could not have realised he was bombing a contingency of soldiers who were sleeping on the floor of the chapel. There were 29 of them, and they were from B & K Companies. Although detailed to defend a wireless station, the troops were billeted in a Baptist Chapel and adjacent empty shops. A bomb hit the chapel The Soldiers Died CDROM shows the following soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the Manchester Regiment died in April 1916: Rank / Number / Surname / Christian Name(s) / Born / Enlisted / Residence / Died Date / Died How / Theatre of War
Private / 30358 / Ball / Wilfred Ernest / Manchester / Manchester / Ardwick, Manchester / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 34637 / Beaumont / Louis Archie / Oldham, Lancs / Oldham / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 9779 / Bell / Samuel / Chadderton, Oldham / Royton, Lancs / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 30117 / Brierley / Thomas / Waterhead, Lancs / Oldham, Lancs / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 34621 / Brown / William Henry / Wilmslow, Cheshire / Failsworth, Manchester / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 34619 / Budding / Ernest / Oldham, Lancs / Hollinwood, Lancs / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 32914 / Chandler / Frank / Middleton, Manchester / Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancs / Middleton Junction / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 34618 / Clowes / Job / Failsworth, Manchester / Failsworth / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 34633 / Cuthbert / Harry / Leeds / Oldham, Lancs / Leeds / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 30241 / Dimelow / Frederick / Manchester / Manchester / Ardwick, Manchester / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 30401 / Diviney / Thomas / Oldham, Lancs / St. Helens, Lancs / Oldham / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 32215 / Downs / Albert Edward / Denton, Manchester / Denton / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 34620 / Fox / Robert / Oldham, Lancs / Hollinwood, Lancs / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 32034 / Francis / William / Manchester / Manchester / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 32263 / Hannon / Thomas / Manchester / Manchester / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 33107 / Harrison / Percy / Hurst, Ashton-Under-Lyne / Ashton-Under-Lyne / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 32323 / Haynes / Alfred / Manchester / Manchester / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 30126 / Hetherington / William / Miles Platting, Manchester / Manchester / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 32278 / Pierce / Tom / Manchester / Manchester / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 27724 / Radford / Joseph / Middlewich, Cheshire / Ashton-Under-Lyne / Stalybridge, Cheshire / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 27902 / Ramsden / Henry / Manchester / Manchester / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 30179 / Russell / James / Salford, Lancs / Manchester / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home L/Cpl / 33055 / Swift / Jack / Manchester / Manchester / Wallasey, Cheshire / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 32275 / Tomkinson / Thomas / Manchester / Manchester / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 27591 / Wheeler / John / Stockport, Cheshire / Manchester / Stockport / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 34639 / Wild / William / Chadderton, Lancs / Oldham, Lancs / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 27537 / Wood / Robert / Milnrow, Lancs / Oldham, Lancs / / 01-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 32238 / Beardsley / Joseph / Ilkeston, Derby / Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancs / Ilkeston / 03-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 32997 / Chandler / Joseph / Bury, Lancs / Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancs / Denton, Lancs / 03-Apr-16 / Died / Home Private / 2425 / Bodsworth / William Robert / Woburn Sands, Beds / Bedford / Blisworth, Northants / 04-Apr-16 / Died of wounds / Home Private / 34625 / Corfield / John Henry / Stafford / Hollinwood, Lancs / / 06-Apr-16 / Died / Home There are therefore only 27 listed as dying on 1st April 1916, rather than the 29 in your mail. I suppose the missing two could have died subsequently from their wounds, which is why I've given the deaths for the whole of April.