Descendants make peace 102 years on

MORE THAN a century ago, in February 1916, the skipper of a Grimsby trawler refused to rescue the stricken crew of a German Zeppelin which had crashed on a bombing mission into the North Sea.

Left to their fate the 16 crew sent messages to loved ones that took weeks to get to shore. None survived.

The skipper of the trawler, William Martin, said his crew were outnumbered by the Germans, who were armed. He died the following year, apparently haunted by the decision, aged just 45.

Now, 102 years later, descendents of Mr Marten’s family and one of the crew have made peace.

In a BBC Inside Out programme to be screened tonight and cohosted by former paratrooper Ben Parkinson, from Doncaster, inset, the skipper’s great-grandson Pat Thompson meets Emile Specht, the nephew of Heinrich Specht, one of the soldiers aboard the Zeppelin. Mr Specht, who travelled from France, was greeted at Grimsby docks by Mr Thompson, who told him: “We have a past to put right through our families. “I hope we can put that right while you are in England.” Mr Thompson previously visited the grave of Mr Specht in Denmark, where his body washed up. Mr Specht said: “I felt the obligation to embrace Pat and say that whatever happened we’re all part of humanity, we’re all men and women in the same boat.” Mr Parkinson, who suffered horrific injuries while serving in Afghanistan in 2006, travelled to Spotbrough near Doncaster, to meet the bellringers who will ring the bells on Armstice Day at the same times as other churches around the UK, as part of a special tribute. He said: “No generation has ever given more and we should never forget.”