Date uncertain: before 21 May 1909. People saw a cigar shaped airship, without lights, passing overhead on several consecutive nights.
Manchester Guardian, 21 May 1909, p. 7; Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
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Just before 11.30pm, a ‘well-known gentleman’ had stopped to repair the headlight on his motorcycle, when he was dazzled by a light shining on him from above for about thirty seconds. It was apparently travelling towards Norwich. He did not see or hear anything else.
Globe, 20 May 1909, p. 7; Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
A cyclist named Chatten — an assistant in a local grocery and drapery store, ‘a brisk, intelligent person, who does not in the least impress one as a dreamer of dreams and a viewer of visions’ — riding home at around midnight was dazzled by a bright, bluish light shining from above. He saw a ‘long cigar-shaped object’ three or four hundred feet above him. There appeared to be some sort of framework beneath it with a yellow light at either end. No sounds could be heard. The sky was dark but the airship could be seen outlined against it.
Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
Strong lights were seen between 11.30pm and midnight, and a ‘whizzing’ sound was also heard.
Globe, 20 May 1909, p. 7.
The brother of the witness in another sighting and at least one other person saw a strange light in the sky between 11.30pm and midnight.
Globe, 20 May 1909, p. 7; Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
An airship was seen manoeuvring high up at dusk; it disappeared with nightfall.
Globe, 20 May 1909, p. 7; Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
A cigar-shaped airship with a light at each end and which ‘quivered’ in such as way as to suggest a ‘mechanical contrivance’, was seen by architect and surveyor Garth Fisher and his wife over their house between 9.30pm and 10pm. It was also seen by nearly all the workers at the town forge and two postal workers, heading northwards over a mountain, having changed direction by nearly ninety degrees. It was apparently carrying a canvas.
Globe, 20 May 1909, p. 7; Manchester Guardian, 21 May 1909, p. 7; Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
Several people independently saw an airship at night.
Globe, 20 May 1909. p.7.
At 1.30am a man cycling home saw an airship with two brilliant lights flying at speed to the southwest. (Kingstown is now Dún Laoghaire.)
Globe, 20 May 1909, p. 7.
At 11.30pm, Mrs. Turner saw lights and heard propellers while coming home from the theatre, as did a young man and a young woman. The street was lit up as if it was day. The object flew very low and approached from the north-north-east, but was not seen itself, only a ‘bright star of light’ at the front and a searchlight at the rear.
Globe, 20 May 1909, p. 7; Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
At 1.15am, an airship was seen by a couple of dozen ‘highly respectable and intelligent dock officials and coal trimmers’ working at the Queen Alexandria Dock. In the words of signalman Charles (or Robert) Westlake, the object appeared to be have a ‘cigar shape, making a whizzing noise. It was lit by two lights, which could be plainly seen. It was travelling at a great rate, and was elevated at a distance of half a mile, making from the eastward’ where it disappeared over the Bristol Channel. It was only visible for two or three minutes; the night was clear, with no moon. Other witnesses included pointsman W. Morrison, traffic foreman C. Harwood, boxman W. John, coal tippers C. Hayman, J. Rogers and C. Bray, and F. Smith, acting mate of the Arndale.
Globe, 19 May 1909, p. 4; Manchester Guardian, 20 May 1909, p. 7; Standard, 20 May 1909, p. 10.
Some Belgian fishermen out of Ostend observed a manoeuvring dirigible.
Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
There were unconfirmed rumours of an airship sighting in the Cathays district of Cardiff just before 11pm.
Manchester Guardian, 20 May 1909, p. 7.
At about 11pm, a travelling Punch and Judy showman named C. Lethbridge encountered an airship on the ground, about 45 feet in length, on the summit of Caerphilly Mountain, just to the north of Cardiff. He also claimed to have met its crew, two young men in heavy fur coats who ‘jabbered furiously to each other in a strange language — Welsh, or something else. Certainly not English’. The airship rose into the air, the men jumped into a carriage suspended underneath, ‘two lights like electric lamps’ switched on, and it flew towards Cardiff. There was a whirring sound which came from a fan at the back of the carriage. The next day, Lethbridge accompanied a journalist to the landing site where the ground appeared disturbed; a collection of strange objects was found, including a kind of plug with a label in French (including the ominous word obus, “shrapnel”), paper scraps on the letterhead of a firm of London stockbrokers, and a number of newspaper clippings concerning ‘airships or the German army’. Also found were fragments of notes ‘bearing a mass of figures and letters of the alphabet formed in a style distinctly different to that of the average English hand’.
Manchester Guardian, 20 May 1909, p. 7; Standard, 20 May 1909, p. 10; Globe, 20 May 1909, p. 7.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. Residents saw an airship. No further details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. Tramway men reported an airship. No further details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. Residents reported an airship. No further details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 17 May 1909. No details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Monmouth auctioneer Oliver Jones and his wife saw an airship at 10.30pm while driving from Tregare with two passengers. They watched it for about half an hour and could clearly discern its cigar shape, apparently travelling faster than the 8 to 10 miles an hour of the motor car. It came from the direction of Raglan, heading towards Chepstow; it then turned around and headed back towards Raglan.
Manchester Guardian, 21 May 1909, p. 7. The place name is given as Tregarog, but this appears to be a garbled reference to Tregare.
A solicitor’s clerk named Edwards who had missed the last train and was walking home from Sheringham to Lowestoft spied an airship just after midnight over North Walsham; he initially saw two or three lights a short distance above the ground, but only paid close attention after hearing a ‘peculiar noise’ and then saw a ‘glaring light’. He was able to observe ‘a dark object ascending’ which headed in the direction of Yarmouth or Lowestoft.
Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
At about 1.30am, a Mrs. Wigg was awakened by the sound of an engine outside; looking out her window she saw a dark, bottle-shaped airship as well as its pilot, flying southwest. In the same house, Mr, T. Plowman was dazzled by a brilliant light at this time, while a number of other people also saw a bright light.
Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
At 7.30pm Captain Hervey, a local government board inspector, witnessed a cigar-shaped balloon at a height of a quarter of a mile and some three of four miles distant, flying east against the wind.
Norfolk News, 22 May 1909, p. 13.
A score of people all over the city observed ‘a long cigar-shaped object’ with a ‘brilliant headlight’ at 10pm for about 15 minutes. That it was occupied was ‘conclusively proven’ by a flashing red light. The object was moving rapidly at a height of about two or three thousand feet then slowed and disappeared to the northeast.
Manchester Guardian, 18 May 1909, p. 7, 20 May 1909, p. 7; Standard, 18 May 1909, p. 8.
A man named Kelf reported an airship.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9. The date is from David Clarke, “Scareships over Britain: The airship wave of 1909,” Fortean Studies 6 (1999): 51.
Mrs. Fricker, a nurse, saw something at around 1.20am, flashing white, green and red lights, which was visible for an hour.
Standard, 14 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain: before 14 May 1909. Aeronautical expert Patrick Alexander ‘heard at night sounds apparently of an airship in motion’.
Standard, 14 May 1909, p. 9.
No details.
Standard, 21 May 1909, p. 21. The date is from David Clarke, “Scareships over Britain: The airship wave of 1909,” Fortean Studies 6 (1999): 50. This also places West Green in Greater London.
Captain Egenes and the crew of the Norwegian steamer St. Olaf saw a low-flying airship fly overhead, which shone a searchlight onto the ship’s deck. It moved off and examined another steamer.
Globe, 19 May 1909, p. 4; Manchester Guardian, 20 May 1909, p. 7. The location was off Blyth, Northumberland, according to David Clarke, “Scareships over Britain: The airship wave of 1909,” Fortean Studies 6 (1999): 52.
A man named Rubens reported an airship. No further details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9
No details.
Standard, 21 May 1909, p. 21. The date is from David Clarke, “Scareships over Britain: The airship wave of 1909,” Fortean Studies 6 (1999): 51.
No details.
Standard, 21 May 1909, p. 21. The date is from David Clarke, “Scareships over Britain: The airship wave of 1909,” Fortean Studies 6 (1999): 45.
At 11.20pm a woman, H. M. Boville, saw an ‘almost motionless’ ‘large, black object, oblong in shape’ about a quarter of a mile above the houses. It suddenly rose in the air after a minute or two, and then moved very fast towards London, briefly showing two brilliant lights.
Norfolk News, 15 May 1909, p. 15; Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
A man named Cole reported an airship. No further details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
Date uncertain. Two labourers encountered an airship.
Egerton Free saw a long sausage-shaped airship manoeuvring over the cliffs for a few minutes at dusk (one report says 10.30pm); it remained stationary at a an estimated height of 600 feet for a few minutes and then headed north-east. At the same location the next day he found ‘a curious object made of steel and India-rubber’ weighing 35lb, stamped with the words ‘Müller Bremen Fabrik’.
Manchester Guardian, 20 May 1909, p. 7; Norfolk News, 15 May 1909, p. 15; Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9; Globe, 17 May 1909, p. 7.
Date uncertain: between 6 and 20 May. No details.
C. W. Allen and Mr. Brown saw a fast-moving ‘oblong’ airship with lights before and aft at about 11pm.
Date uncertain. The brother-in-law (possibly named Strange) of ‘prominent Peterborough tradesman’ Herbert Neaverson was so impressed by the airship he saw that he travelled to London to inform the War Office. He saw a light coming from towards the sea in the early hours of the morning. He could not see the shape of the airship but he could hear the engine and a ’swishing’ noise.
Norfolk News, 15 May 1909, p. 15; Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9.
The witness was Mrs. Rush. No further details.
A builder and his family watched an egg-shaped airship (with the larger end pointing up) manoeuvring between clouds at about 7.30pm. It was estimated to be about 10 miles to the west and travelling quickly in that direction.
A sighting was made by police constable Hudson and J. A. Smith.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9; Manchester Guardian, 20 May 1909, p. 7
The witness was Mr. Deacon. No further details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9; Manchester Guardian, 20 May 1909, p. 7.
Mr. Banyard and Mrs. Day independently saw an airship at night, no further details.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9; Manchester Guardian, 20 May 1909, p. 7.
Police constable Kettle saw an ‘oblong-shaped airship with a powerful light pass over the town’ at 5am.
Standard, 17 May 1909, p. 9; Manchester Guardian, 20 May 1909, p. 7.