piece of wire from the German Zeppelin SL11

wire in sealed envelope wire remnant in an envelope which has a printed red cross in the top left-hand corner and the following inscription, printed in red: 'GUARANTEE / This is a piece of the wire of the first Zeppelin brought down at CUFFLEY, HERTS. / September 3rd, 1916. / The wire having been given to the British Red Cross Society by H. M. War Office, it is being sold to help the wounded at the front. Price 1/-'.

Piece of wire from the rigging of the First World War German airship SL11made into a souvenir 'package' and sold to raise money for the Red Cross. The SL11 was shot down in flames at Cuffley, Hertfordshire by Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson (39 Squadron) on 2-3 September 1916. The SL11 was the first airship to be brought down on British soil; Robinson won the Victoria Cross (VC) for the action.

Piece of wire from the rigging of the First World War German airship SL11made into a souvenir 'package' and sold to raise money for the Red Cross. The SL11 was shot down in flames at Cuffley, Hertfordshire by Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson (39 Squadron) on 2-3 September 1916. The SL11 was the first airship to be brought down on British soil; Robinson won the Victoria Cross (VC) for the action. After its destruction, the SL11 was initially wrongly identified as the L21 by some British authorities. A newspaper cutting is also displayed with the souvenirs: 'SOUVENIRS FROM L21. / ON SALE FOR "OUR DAY" FUND.' The following is a list of the official prices fixed for souvenirs made from the relics of the German airship L 21 brought down at Cuffley which were presented to the British Red Cross Society as a means of raising funds for the special effort of "Our Day" :- Short length of wire in official envelope. 1s. ; safety-pin brooch, 2s. 6d. ; fancy brooch, 5s.; ring, 10s 6d. ; cuff-links, one guinea ; bracelet, one guinea. Some days ago three tons of the wire which formed the wrapping of the airship were delivered by military motor-lorries to the organizers of "Our Day" and half a dozen workers have been fully occupied in cutting the wire into suitable lengths and dispatching it to the manufacturers who have undertaken to prepare the trinkets. Messrs. Elkington and Co. (Limited), of Regent-street, have not only arranged to produce a certain number of articles, but have given their help to the scheme in various other ways. Fourteen firms in London, Birmingham, Sheffield, and Manchester have undertaken to convert the wire into souvenirs, and it is hoped that many of them will be ready for sale by October 19. Miss Beeman, the chief organizer, is prepared to receive orders for articles in the above list at her offices, 10, West Bolton-gardens, South Kensington. The orders, which should be accompanied by cheques or other remittances, will be dealt with in rotation; but a few days must elapse before it will be possible to execute them.