A Zeppelin airship dropped bombs on a Merseyside town before going on to kill eight people just a few miles away.
In 1918, while the continent was ravaged by the World War I, Britain was under constant threat of attack by air, in the form of massive balloon-like airships called Zeppelins,with industrial towns such as St Helens were specifically targeted. The target on this occasion was believed to be a munitions factory, on Lancoats Lane.
There were no casualties, however the same ship went on to bomb nearby Wigan, killing eight people. In his book The Hidden History of St Helens, local historian Stephen Wainwright wrote: "Elizabeth Mercer referenced the airship in her winning entry in the St Helens Reporter's writing contest for the over 60s in 1972.
