Ships of the German High Seas Fleet, in an attempt to lure out the Royal Navy, bombarded Hartlepool, Scarborough and Whitby. The effect on the civilian population was dramatic, with 127 civilians killed in the bombardment, condemnation of the Royal Navy for not preventing the attacks was widespread.
The two ships that attacked Scarborogh were the Derfflinger and the Von der Tann, and they wanted to spread fear and panic and to test the strength of the Royal Navy. On the British side though, the attack on defenceless civilians handed the war effort a major propaganda tool and the cry ‘Remember Scarborough’ helped boost the ongoing recruitment drive.
Having been at war for four months, First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill faced heavy criticism for the lack of preparedness and the ineffective response of the Royal Navy. In a tub thumping speech, he branded the Germans ‘the baby killers of Scarborough’.
Shop damage in Scarborough.
British propagandists used the attacks to boost recruitment for the army.
Leave a Reply