One of the more unusual early postcards of Maresfield features an airship flying over Underhill. Your first thought could be “Zeppelin” – was this one of Prince Münster’s chums, paying him a flying visit from Germany?

However, closer examination of the airship design shows that it’s not a Zeppelin – the distinctive tailfin pattern identifies it as a British “SS” (Sea Scout, or Submarine Scout) airship, or “blimp”.

These were hastily designed and built in 1915 by the Royal Navy to detect and attack German submarines in the English Channel, and around 60 were in service from March 1915 until the end of the first world war.

The pilot and navigator sat in a converted aeroplane fuselage (with the wings removed) which was suspended underneath the airship.

One of the major airship stations was at Willingdon near Polegate, so it’s likely that the Maresfield postcard features one of those airships on patrol.

These airships were filled with highly flammable hydrogen, and in December 1917 two airships from Polegate collided in fog. Both immediately burst into flames, killing one of the airship captains, 26 year old Richard Swallow. A full account of the accident is available on the East Sussex WW1 website.

This 1917 film from the Royal Navy shows just how difficult it was to manouvre and operate these airships.

The Polegate Royal Naval Airship station closed in March 1920, which dates the Maresfield photograph between 1915 and 1920. The East Sussex WW1 website has an excellent history of the Polegate RNAS station.