The British phantom airship scares, 1909-1913
You are currently browsing the daily archive for 19 May 1909.
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.