Memorial Zeppelin Wester Cemetery

Zeppelin LZ37
In the late afternoon of June 6, 1915, the Zeppelin LZ37, with a crew of nine on board, left its home base Berchem-Sainte-Agathe. Under the skillful leadership of Otto van der Haeghen and Kurt Ackermann, the colossus resolutely set course for its target: London. However, a stubborn fog over the North Sea forced the men to abort their mission prematurely.
They dropped the bombs destined for the British capital above the railway installations of Calais. The colossus was now ready to start its journey home but lost more and more altitude and was eventually allowed to land at the base of Gontrode.
On June 7 around 1 am, the English daredevil Reginald Warneford took off with his plane in Veurne. Above Ghent, a clash came between the unwieldy German "flying cigar" and the maneuverable "flying coffin" of the Briton.
Around two thirty in the morning a huge bang made the sleeping people from Ghent shake from their beds. The sky over Sint-Amandsberg glowed yellowish red when the Germans were taken from the sky.
Of the 9 crew members of the German zeppelin, only helmsman Alfred Mühler survived the tragedy. The 8 others were given a final resting place in the Wester cemetery, under wooden crosses.
The German ruler wanted to have a grand memorial to honor his heroes. The famous architect and professor at the Düsseldorf art academy Wilhelm Kreis, who had already made his mark with his Bismarck towers, was awarded the assignment. The crew were placed around the monument until they were transferred to a cemetery in Vladslo in 1956. Otto and Kurt remained on their private yard, supported by the monument.
Reginald Warneford was unable to relive his triumph for long. On June 17, 1915, barely ten days after his venture, he crashed into a test flight. He was buried with great splendor at Brompton Cemetery in London.

Source: brochure City of Ghent: "Wester cemetery - Thematic walk: First World War"

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Source

• Text: Marie-Christine Vinck
• Photos: Marie-Christine Vinck