Recently found in Flickr Commons are eleven photographs that record a significant event in the history of the British airship N.S.11. The photographs are part of the Adolphe Henri DuBois Special Photo Collection of the San Diego Air & Space Museum.
With help from Brian Turpin we may well have identified the incident. In all probability the photographs were taken at RAF Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppy, Kent – although not an airship station it was still a fully-active airfield. On a journey that started from Longside on 16 March 1919, N.S.11 landed at Eastchurch on 18 March 1919 after a flight of 40 hours, 30 minutes. The flight was intended to be a complete circuit of the North Sea but the ship developed trouble with the starboard engine and the attempt had to be terminated. As you will see from the photographs only the port blower pipe is lowered to provide air pressure in the ballonets – the starboard pipe is in the raised position.
The officers and crew of N.S.11 on the day were:
Capt W.K.F. G Warneford – Commander (her only Commander, he was killed when N.S.11 was lost on 15 July 1919)
Capt A. J. H MacColl – 2nd Officer (had been flying with N.S.11 since 19 November 1919)
Lt McConchie – 3rd Officer
Sgt Stratton – Coxwain
Cpl Stevens – Coxwain (with N.S.11 since 11 October 1918)
Sgt Wrenn – Engineer (he had been flying with N.S.11 from at least 11 October 1918)
Sgt Sansom – Engineer (with N.S.11 since 9 January 1919)
Cpl Williams – WT Operator (he had been flying with N.S.11 from at least 11 October 1918)
AC T. Connolly – WT Operator (later died when N.S.11 was lost on 15 July 1919)
AC B. M. Hall – Unspecified crew member
Unfortunately, as we can’t stretch to the annual usage fees we are unable to show the photographs on this site. The San Diego Air & Space Museum, however, has kindly allowed us to create a link. Click here to go to the collection on Flickr Commons.
For more on the San Diego Air & Space Museum visit… www.sandiegoairandspace.org
About The Commons
The key goals of The Commons on Flickr are to firstly show hidden treasures in the world’s public photography archives, and secondly to show how public and expert input and knowledge can help make these collections even richer. Under “The Commons,” cultural institutions that have reasonably concluded that a photograph is free of copyright restrictions are invited to share such photograph under their new usage guideline called “no known copyright restrictions.”
NS11 – As Bright As Day is very much a work in progress and has been made possible by the generous and enthusiastic support of many individuals and organisations. If you have any information, records or material relating to British NS Class airships we would be very interested to hear from you – especially anyone related to members of the crew of NS11 or any airship of the class during their service with the RNAS or RAF during and beyond WWI. 
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