On a Wing and a Prayer: the British Imperial Airship Scheme 1924-30

An iconic form of inter-war aviation, the airship dream famously met its end with the 1937 Hindenburg disaster. However, less known is a revolutionary British programme based in Bedfordshire that intended to connect the farthest reaches of the Empire with a fleet of luxurious craft. Building two airships, R100 and R101, the triumphs and tribulations of their development are presented, ultimately ending in one of the worst disasters to befall the British aeronautical industry.

Dr Rudi Newman is a PhD historian with a long-standing passion for transportation history. Author of several books, he has acted as advisor and been interviewed for the BBC and international radio, has featured in television documentaries on Channel 4 and across Europe, and has lectured at the National Archives, the National Railway Museum, Trinity College Cambridge, the Ministry of Defence at Whitehall and other organisations.

This lecture will be available in person at Dagnall Street Baptist Church and also online via Zoom. Attendance is free to SAHAAS members; £5 for non-members.

Please click on the button above right to register. You will then receive confirmation of your registration by email return. Registration closes at 3.30pm on Tuesday 10 February.

All those registered will be emailed the Zoom joining instructions by 4pm on the day of the lecture. If you have not received this by 5pm, please contact us using the email address below. NB. If you are registering two or more members to attend via Zoom, and want each of them to receive the link in their own email inbox, these details need to be entered at registration.

It is important to note that SAHAAS operates hybrid talks relying on two volunteers who work very hard behind-the-scenes on the technology to ensure we can offer this service to those unable to attend at the church. Occasionally despite our best efforts technology works against us. There may be a delay in acknowledging an issue but this is only because we are working out how to resolve it.

If you have any questions, please email Gill Girdziusz via [email protected]

Photo above: Airship R100 in 1930 (Wikipedia)

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