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During World War One, a number of gasworks were damaged as a result of the war. Damaged was sustained both due to aerial attacks by German aircraft and seaborne attacks by the German Navy, but also a number of other gasworks were damaged as a result of industrial accidents at munitions factories.The Zeppelin was a rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century.Interestingly, the Zeppelin attacks were the first airborne attacks on the United Kingdom, and were relatively successful. Attacks were made on a number of British towns and cities, causing considerable damage and fatalities, although it was panic these attacks caused, which was more significant. These attacks traumatised many within the communities affected, but proved to be a very effective recruiting tool for the British Armed forces afterwards.As the airborne attacks by the Zeppelins were a relatively new technology, the military had not developed a way to counteract them. Attempts were made to shoot them down with guns on the ground, but the Zeppelins could climb high enough to avoid these. Given that the airships were large and filled with highly flammable hydrogen gas, it may have been expected that they would have been an easy target.Southend on Sea, as with most towns on the South East coast, had its fair share of air raids, through the First World War, both by Zeppelins and also German Gotha heavy bombers. It was not only the bombs dropped, but also the shrapnel from shells fired at the aircraft, that could cause damage at the gasworks. The regular attacks often disrupted the gas works, with gas making ceasing and the retort house having to be shut down. Whilst the damaged to gasworks from aerial bombardment was not to extensive, it did destroy the district gas mains in numerous cases.Two notable attacks in London during World War One, were to the West Greenwich gasworks of the South Metropolitan Gas Company (SMGC), which were damaged by incendiary bombs on the 24th of August 1916 and towards the end of the war, on the 28 of Jan 1918, several incendiary bombs were dropped on the SMGC%u2019s Vauxhall gasworks causing damage.The aerial attacks led to anti-aircraft batteries being placed on gasworks to protect them as important strategic target, as they were vital in supporting the British war effort. The enemy Historic Gas Times%u2022 Issue 111 %u2022 June 2022 %u2022pagepage22DAMAGE TO BRITISH GASWORKS DURING WORLD WAR ONE The damage to Low Moor gas works caused by an explosion at the nearby chemical works in 1916.