Zeppelin fighters in Birmingham - including Victoria Cross awardee William Leefe Robinson

Description:The picture looks as though it was taken next to St Philip's Cathedral in Birmingham City Centre, possibly on Colmore Row as they are walking towards the Council House.

Sowrey is difficult to establish as which one of the four he is that served in the First World War but Robinson, as a Victoria Cross winner, is easier...
William Leefe Robinson VC was a Lieutenant in the Worcester Regiment 39 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. On the night of 2/3 December 1916 over Cufley, Hertfordshire, Lieutenant Robinson sighted a German airship;
one of 16 which had left bases in Germany on a mass raid over England. The Lieutenant started an attack at a
height of 11,500 feet approaching from below and, closing to within 500 feet, raked the aircraft (A wooden
framed Schutte Lanz) with gunfire. As he was preparing to make another attack, the airship burst into flames and crashed in a field.No witnesses were needed in the award to Lieutenant Robinson. The wreckage spoke for itself when it hit the ground.When the airship was attacked it almost came down on top of Lieutenant Robinson. He
was shot down over enemy lines later in the war. He was taken prisoner and as such, he made many attempts to
escape. He was released from captivity on the cessation of hostilities in 1918. Unfortunately he died from
influenza on the 31st December 1918.