Theberton

Theberton

Theberton, Church of St Peter
Theberton
 Theberton shown within Suffolk
Shire countySuffolk
RegionEast
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town SAXMUNDHAM
EU Parliament East of England
List of places
UK
England
Suffolk

Coordinates: 52°14′14″N 1°34′06″E / 52.237235°N 1.568352°E

Theberton is a village in Suffolk, England. It is located 4 miles (6 km) northeast of Saxmundham, and 3 miles north of Leiston, its post town. The village primary school was closed around 1970 and is now used as the village hall, which was renamed Jubilee Hall in 2000 and extensively refurbished in 2012. Theberton Hall was the birthplace of Charles Doughty-Wylie who was born in 1868 and killed in battle in Galipoli in 1915. His bravery earned him the Victoria Cross. His father's brother was Charles Montagu Doughty (1843 – 1926) the poet, writer ('Arabia Deserta'), and traveller. He was also born at Theberton Hall and is commemorated in the church by a plaque.

It was here at 02:00 on the morning of 17 June 1917 that the German Zeppelin airship L48 was shot down by Robert Saundby and others[1] while it was on a bombing raid.[2][3] Sixteen members of the crew died in the crash; three survived but one later died from his injuries.[2] Their bodies have since been moved to a central burial ground in Staffordshire, although a memorial can still be seen in the cemetery across the road from the church. Part of the framework of the Zeppelin itself is mounted in the porch of the church.[4]

Twinning

Theberton is twinned with Thebarton, Australia.

Robert Howlett

Isambard Kingdom Brunel photographed by Robert Howlett (1857)

The Victorian photographer Robert Howlett was born in Theberton in 1831, the second of four sons of Reverend Robert Howlett and Harriet Harsant. He is renowned for his iconic photograph of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Sources of information

  1. ↑ Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920. p. 330.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 redkitebooks.co.uk, Aviation Archaeology, Zeppelin L48 excavation carried out for BBC television
  3. ↑ redkitebooks.co.uk, The excavation of L48 the “Theberton Zeppelin”, post-excavation report
  4. ↑ http://www.theberton.info/timewatch.htm, Zeppelin, German zeppelin pictures, L48, LZ95, zeppelin crash ...

References

Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920. Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. ISBN 0-948817-19-4, ISBN 978-0-948817-19-9.

External links

Media related to Theberton at Wikimedia Commons