William Leefe Robinson VC (14 July 1895 – 31 December 1918) was the first British pilot to shoot down a German airship over Britain during the First World War.

While there, he succeeded his brother as Head of Eaglesfield House in 1913, played in the Rugby 1st XV and became a sergeant in the school Officer Training Corps.

By this time I had managed to climb to 12,000 feet and I made in the direction of the Zeppelin - which was being fired on by a few anti-aircraft guns - hoping to cut it off on its way eastward.

When I drew closer I noticed that the anti-aircraft aim was too high or too low; also a good many shells burst about 800 feet behind-a few tracers went right over.

I quickly got out of the way of the falling, blazing Zeppelin and, being very excited, fired off a few red Very lights and dropped a parachute flare.

Robinson landed his damaged biplane at 2.45 a.m. to tremendous acclaim from the squadron, and immediately wrote his combat report.

Tens of thousands of people made their way to see the remains of the airship at Cuffley, parts of which were sold by the Red Cross for charity fundraising mounted on pieces of card.

Just two days later, Robinson was awarded the Victoria Cross – thought to be the fastest on record – and received the medal on 9 September at Windsor Castle, with huge crowds of admirers and onlookers in attendance.

This incident led to his being grounded, as he was too valuable a national figure, with a long string of official engagements, to run such risks.

However, the combat technique of using concentrated upward fire and mixed incendiary bullets had been proven by Leefe Robinson, and more successes quickly followed.

On the night of 1/2 October 1916, 2nd Lieutenant W. L. Tempest of 39 Squadron, flying a B.E.2c, spotted the Zeppelin L.31, illuminated by searchlights over southwest London, and shot it down with the loss of the entire airship crew.

After continual pestering of the authorities to allow him to return to active service, in April 1917 Robinson was posted to France as a flight commander with No.

On the first patrol over the lines, on 5 April Robinson's formation of six aircraft encountered the Albatros D.III fighters of Jasta 11, led by Manfred von Richthofen.

Thousands turned up to line the route of the procession, which was led by the Central Band of the RAF, and a fly-past of aircraft dropped a wreath which was laid on the grave.

[10] The site was donated by Mrs J M B Kidson of Nun Park, Northaw, and the monument itself was paid for by readers of the Daily Express newspaper.

[11] It takes the form of a Cornish granite obelisk, 5.1 metres (17 ft) tall, and bears Royal Flying Corps "wings" along with the following inscription: To the memory of Captain William Leefe Robinson VC, Worcs.

who on 3 September 1916 above this spot brought down SL11, the first German airship destroyed on British soil.The monument was unveiled in front of a large crowd on 9 June 1921, by Freddie Guest, the Secretary of State for Air.

[10] A service of commemoration was held on 31 December 2018 led by Reverend Christopher Kilgour, the Vicar of the Parish of Northaw and Cuffley, on the date of the 100th anniversary of Leefe Robinson's death.

[13] Robinson's name appears on the triple VC memorial in St Bees School chapel, which was dedicated in 1932.

He is commemorated by the name of the local Miller & Carter steakhouse just south of the cemetery, the Leefe Robinson VC on the Uxbridge Road, Harrow Weald.

[14] This building was originally opened as The Leefe Robinson Restaurant in 1954, and contained a display of artifacts including the propeller from a BE2c aircraft; however these were destroyed by a fire in the 1960s, but the name was preserved when it reopened as a Berni Inn.