Crash of the British Airship R-101
The R-101 crashed near Beauvais France, on 5 Oct, 1930 - less than one year after her debut. The crash site is well known, and marked! The following photos illustrate what I found from my "armchair" search of this history.
(This page was created before the "Airship Monuments" section of this website. These monuments and markers are also found in the new section, but under their respective countries.)
Jump to: Beauvais, France * Allonne, France * Cardington, Bedfordshire, UK
Crash Site & Memorials
This was a most fascinating study. Not only is there a memorial, as one would expect, in Great Britain at Cardington, Bedfordshire, UK, but there is a terrific memorial in France, near the crash site, which was built in 1933 and dedicated with great ceremony! Today, as you can see in these photos, the France memorial is neglected, and apparently no longer of significant interest. Even getting to stand next to the memorial looks difficult as there is nowhere near it to park, and no way to stand back from it for photos, as a major road runs within feet!
Photo credit: Public domain
Sites of Interest
Beauvais, France crash-site marker:
Starting with the photo above, knowing the crash as at or near Beauvais, France, I began searching the 'Net for the location. It was not long before I found it:
Photo credit: Google Earth
The map-tack is at (Lat Lon) 49.390650 002.110709, about 39 Miles North of Paris. (Click here to View in Google Maps)
When zooming in on the Google-Earth map-tack we find the brush is still cleared at the crash site! Why? See the photo following this one:
Photo credit: Google Earth
There is a marker there! Deep in the brush, evidently on private land, but kept clear by the land-owner! Overhead imagery seems to confirm a path or paths are maintained to the marker:
Photo credit: Undetermined
Allonne, France, R-101 Memorial
Near the town of Allonne, there is a great memorial, dedicated on the crash anniversary in 1933. Here is the newspaper clipping for the dedication:
Photo credit: Undetermined
Here is the memorial as depicted on a post card at the time:
Photo credit: Undetermined
And as it appeared just a few years ago, 2019:
Photo credit: Google Maps
This beautiful memorial is located at (Lat Lon) 49.404463 002.121920 along Route Nationale 1. (Click here to View in Google Maps). Sadly, there is no apparent parking near the memorial, and it appears all but forgotten.
Photo credit: Google Earth
Cardington, Bedfordshire, UK:
There is also a memorial in the UK, at a cemetery on the outskirts of Cardington. It is located here, just 3/4 of a mile NNE of the Cardington Hangars:
Photo credit: Google Earth
It is a lovely memorial, with an inscription of the deceased:
Photo credit: Waymarking.com
The exact location is (Lat Lon) 52.119524 -000.416366, Cardington. (Click here to View in Google Maps).