The R38

Howden airship station. Photograph from Wikipedia.

In 1921 there was a huge airship base near Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire. On 24th August the first R38 class airship was on flight trials over the Humber estuary.

The R38 was seven hundred feet long and almost a hundred feet high. Aeroplanes were rare at this time so it must have been quite a sight when this R38 flew over the Humber a few hundred yards from the quayside in Hull.

The R38 was due to be sold to the US Navy and had been scheduled to carry out turning trials in East Anglia. However low cloud over Norfolk meant that the ship returned to Howden and the trials were carried out over the Humber on the 24th August 1921.

On that day, a normal Wednesday in Hull ,the Creek family were going about their daily lives. Polly decided that they needed milk from the shop and sent nine year old Oliver to get some. It must have been a real shock for a nine year old to look up and see a huge airship flying out over the river. His shock must have been even greater when, just after 5.30 p.m. the airship broke in two whilst manoeuvring. Men and objects fell from the rupture and the forward section caught fire followed by two explosions.

Photograph from US Naval Historical Centre

Oliver ran home to tell the family. His father, Charles, who had just got home from work, .went down to the quayside and, along with other Hull men, rowed out to the wreck to see if there were any survivors. A feat made extremely dangerous by the burning fuel slick surrounding the wreckage.

Photograph by the Airship Heritage Trust

Forty-four men died that day a hundred years ago. There is a memorial remembering them in the Northern Cemetery in Hull. Five men survived, partly due to the bravery of the citizens of Hull who rowed out to rescue them.