Play honours bravery behind 1930 airship tragedy

The R101 at its mooring mast at Cardington, Bedfordshire, before its maiden voyage on 4 October 1930

A new play tells the story of the building and tragic maiden voyage of the R101 airship 95 years ago.

Bedford Drama Company has created Seizing the Skies, being performed from 14-18 October, about how the R101 was made at the Royal Airship Works in the nearby village of Cardington.

It set off for India on 4 October 1930 from Cardington, but crashed in France the next day, killing 48 of the 55 people on board.

Richard Moon, actor and co-writer, said he wanted the production to show the reasons behind the airship's creation, and honour the "bravery" of all those involved.

The R101 flying over Bedford on its first trial flight in October 1929, the same year Bedford Drama Company was founded

Moon, who co-wrote the show with Oscar Aleman, said: "It was a really interesting tale to be told, the story of the people behind it, the politician, Lord Thomson, who wanted it built.

"We show the women who worked in the factory who made the gas bags and the cover and it was the women who were left behind to pick up the pieces.

"We show the bravery of the men who went, they knew there were basic problems, they thought it would be OK but it wasn't."

Officers and members of the crew of the R101 pose for photographs after another day of flight trials at the Royal Airship Works, Cardington, on 23 October 1929

Moon, also treasurer of the amateur society, said it was a story known in the Bedford area, but the company wanted to ensure it was not forgotten.

"It's a tremendous story, if you compare it to the Titanic when it crashed, it was a national disaster, but it's more interesting than the Titanic.

"Titanic was a ship that was going too fast, in the wrong area and hit an iceberg.

"We are showing how it [the R101] was built, why it would work, but it was not just about money - it was loyalty, it was patriotism and it was politics and a tragedy to those who died.

"We take that seriously, we don't want to exploit those people in anyway."

He hoped other theatre companies would perform the piece and said it could even be made into a musical to mark the 100th anniversary, in five years time.

Bedford Drama Company has been rehearsing the play for several months

Jenny Curzon, the director, said: "The play has all the elements a strong story requires: love, loss, futility, tragedy and the enduring power of hope."

Seizing the Skies runs from 14 - 18 October at The Place, Bedford.

French soldiers at the R101 crash site in the French village of Beauvais in October 1930