Feature: Britain to fire World War One guns in re-enactment of Zeppelin attacks

The only working example of a World War One gun specially developed to attack German Zeppelin airships will be fired from Dover Castle this weekend.

The gun will form one of the highlights of an authentically recreated 1915 anti-aircraft emplacement at the castle which overlooks the English Channel.

Visitors to the castle will be able to experience the gun being fired on August 1 and 2 during a new Dover at War event.

The weekend event comes almost exactly one hundred years after the first successful hit on a Zeppelin by an identical anti-aircraft gun, controlled from Dover Castle's Fire Command Post.

Dover became the target of the first recorded bombing raid on Britain from a German aeroplane on December 21, 1914.

Only six of the British designed anti-aircraft gun remain in the world, with Dover's gun the only working example following months of careful restoration work.

It will be fired regularly during the weekend by a specially trained team of costumed volunteers from English Heritage, the government agency responsible for the upkeep of the famous castle.

A spokesman for English Heritage said Friday: "The building housing the Fire Command Post and Port War Signal Station has been conserved and re-presented. With a panoramic view over the Straits of Dover, these command and control centers were crucial in protecting the harbor and approaches, controlling the guns around the coast and monitoring the thousands of naval and merchant ship movements in the English Channel.

Paul Pattison, Senior Properties Historian for English Heritage said: "Dover Castle was critically important to the defence of Britain during the First World War, standing guard above the English Channel and helping to defend the nation from the new threat of aerial warfare. This project brings to life the story of the soldiers who manned this front line, monitoring the channel and firing newly developed anti-aircraft guns."

Stuart McLeod, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South East, said: "The story of Dover and its castle, which was used as a fortress and key site for British troops during the First World War is relatively unknown but of crucial significance. This new project will bring its story to life and show, for the first time, what happened there during this world changing conflict. By restoring some of the castle's historic First World War features and creating a first-class volunteering and learning programme, people of all ages, from near and far will be able to fully appreciate Dover's wartime heritage."

The Dover area was officially designated as a Fortress during the First World War, containing a garrison and training camps for over 10,000 men. The new Dover at War project has cost 770,000 U.S. dollars, and uses locally recruited volunteers to help tell the story of an important chapter in the town's history.

Zeppelin airships were named after the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin who pioneered rigid airship development at the start of the 20th century. During World War I the German military made extensive use of Zeppelins as bombers and scouts, killing over 500 people in bombing raids in Britain. Endit