31 December 1918(1918-12-31) (aged 23) Stanmore, Middlesex, England
Buried
All Saints' Churchyard Extension, Harrow Weald, Middlesex
Allegiance
United Kingdom
Years of service
1914–1918
Rank
Captain
Unit
39 Squadron 48 Squadron
Commands held
Flight Commander
Battles/wars
World War I
Awards
Victoria Cross
William Leefe Robinson VC (14 July 1895 – 31 December 1918) was the first British pilot to shoot down a German airship over Britain during the First World War. For this, he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the first person to be awarded the VC for action in the UK.[1]
His action marked a turning point in the war against the airship menace, and caused the German airship bombing campaign to falter. In the three months afterwards, five more airships were shot down using the combat techniques he had proven.
^"Captain William Leefe Robinson", The RAF Hornchurch Project, citing Cooksley, P. 1999. VC's of the First World War
William LeefeRobinson VC (14 July 1895 – 31 December 1918) was the first British pilot to shoot down a German airship over Britain during the First World...
and was attributed to a pilot from Sutton's Farm, Lt. William LeefeRobinson. Robinson shot down a Schütte-Lanz SL11, one of a 16-strong raiding force...
and diplomat Billy Robinson (aviator) (1884–1916), American aviator William LeefeRobinson (1895–1918), British aviator Bill Robinson (fashion designer)...
Cheesman 1984, p.149 "LeefeRobinson: The man who shot down a Baby Killer". BBC News. 3 September 2016. Robinson 1971 pp 172–9 Robinson 1971, p. 179 Cole...
film and television actor Hugo Rittson-Thomas, photographer William LeefeRobinson (1895–1918), lieutenant, 39 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps Aubrey de Sélincourt...
incident is commemorated by a memorial on East Ridgeway to Lieutenant W. LeefeRobinson, the pilot who shot the airship down; he was awarded the Victoria Cross...
965 visitors in 2019. The armoury contains a propeller from a plane flown by LeefeRobinson when he shot down a German airship north of London in 1916. To the north...
Squadron Commander of Hendon Aerodrome August 1914 – September 1915 LeefeRobinson – another VC recipient awarded for shooting down a German airship Gilbert...
Retrieved 3 September 2016. Leatherdale, Duncan (3 September 2016). "LeefeRobinson: The man who shot down a Baby Killer". BBC News. Archived from the original...
1916 the first German airship was shot down over English soil by Lt. LeefeRobinson flying a BE 2c. This and subsequent successes by Britain’s defences...
inventor of Vicks VapoRub and Junk Mail (August 21, 1919) William LeefeRobinson, British Victoria Cross recipient (December 31, 1918) Edmond Rostand...
on the night of 2–3 September 1916, a BE2c flown by Captain William LeefeRobinson downed the SL 11, the first German airship to be shot down over Britain...
extension adjoin this cemetery and their most famous interment is of LeefeRobinson, a pilot who was awarded the Victoria Cross. Also buried at All Saints...
be named after a holder of the Victoria Cross; the other two are the LeefeRobinson in Harrow Weald and the Albert Herring, in Palmers Green, London. The...
causing over £21,000 in damage. Royal Flying Corps Lieutenant William Leefe-Robinson, flying a B.E.2c, shoots down the German Army Schütte-Lanz airship SL...
May – R. J. Mitchell, English aircraft designer (died 1937) 14 July – LeefeRobinson, English military aviator (died 1918) 21 September – Juan de la Cierva...
Passchendaele. Royal Flying Corps fighter pilot Lieutenant William Leefe-Robinson shot down a Zeppelin in an aerial battle over London. British Army Lieutenant...
positions on high ground near the city of Nancy. 1916 – World War I: LeefeRobinson destroys the German airship Schütte-Lanz SL 11 over Cuffley, north of...
Theodore Hardy, Army Chaplains' Department, VC, educated in Hatch End LeefeRobinson, VC, RFC, buried in All Saints' Churchyard, Harrow Weald graveyard at...
Global Information
United Kingdom