A commemorative medal depicting Captain Alfred de Bathe Brandon DSO MC. In recognition of his ...

A commemorative medal depicting Captain Alfred de Bathe Brandon DSO MC. In recognition of his courageous attacks on Zeppelins during their raids on eastern England in 1916, Alfred de Bathe Brandon was awarded the Military Cross and then appointed a DSO; he was also Mentioned in Despatches. Although he has been credited with the destruction of the first Zeppelin brought down over England, the evidence is inconclusive. Whether his attack on Zeppelin L-15 on the night of 31 March caused the airship to crash in the sea some miles off the Thames estuary or whether artillery fire from British ground batteries was wholly or partly responsible has long been the subject of controversy. But his assault on L-15, at 9,000 feet while being subjected to enemy machine-gun fire, and his subsequent attack on Zeppelin L-33 on the night of 23 September, helping to bring the airship down in a field, are matters of fact which were recognised by the British government. Brandon flew a BE2c single-engined biplane in these engagements.