Herbert Carmichael Irwin
Encyclopedia
Flight Lieutenant
Herbert Carmichael "Bird" Irwin, AFC
(26 June 1894 - 5 October 1930) was an Irish aviator and athlete. During World War I
, Irwin joined the Royal Naval Air Service
(RNAS), where he commanded non-rigid airship
s. After the war, the "tall sensitive Irishman" commanded larger rigid airship
s, initially for the Royal Air Force
(RAF) and later on secondment to the (civilian) Royal Airship Works as part of the Imperial Airship Scheme
.
Both before and after the war, Irwin also had a successful career as a middle- and long-distance
and cross-country
runner, and he represented Great Britain at the 1920 Summer Olympics
in Antwerp, Belgium.
Irwin's career as an aviator culminated in his command of the airship R101
, the largest airship in the world at the time. He was killed along with another 47 people when it crashed in northern France on a flight from Britain to India.
, County Dublin, on 26 June 1894, the second of four sons born to Thomas Frederick Irwin, a solicitor
, and his wife Elinor Emily Lindsay Carroll, a daughter of the rector of Dundrum. He was baptised in Taney Parish
on 1 August. Irwin's father and two uncles, Herbert Irwin and Major General Sir James Murray Irwin
, were noted members of the Dublin University Rowing Club
, and one of his grandmothers was a sister of Major-General Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes
. His godfather was Sir Thomas Myles
, a well-known Dublin surgeon, Home Rule campaigner and, later, gunrunner for the Irish Volunteers
.
Irwin attended St. Andrew's College, Dublin
, from August 1909 to June 1913.
, which commemorates him with a trophy, the Irwin Memorial Challenge Cup. Aged 18, in 1914, he was the Irish four-mile champion, as well as the winner of the Irish senior and junior cross-country championships. After the war, he went on to represent Great Britain at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp.
At the Games, Irwin finished second in Semifinal 1 of the men's 5000 metres
on 16 August, achieving a career best. However, he was unable to repeat his performance in the final on the following day, finishing only twelfth. After the event, Irwin went on to be the Irish mile
and four-mile champion in 1921. He was also the RAF mile champion in 1920 and RAF three-mile champion in 1919, 1920 and 1922.
Irwin's personal bests were 4:33.8 in the mile (set in 1920), 15:15.6 in the three miles (set in 1919) and 15:17.8 in the 5000 metres (set at the 1920 Olympics).
, Coastal
and NS
types "in Home Waters and the East Mediterranean" during 1916 and 1917 and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant with seniority 1 April 1917. At RNAS East Fortune
, Scotland, he "enjoyed the reputation of having the smartest ship." Under the RAF, which subsumed the RNAS in 1918, he was granted a short-service commission as Flight Lieutenant on 24 October 1919.
Irwin subsequently commanded the rigid R29
, with Noël Atherstone, who would again be his second-in-command on R101, as his first officer. He became captain of the R36, by now regarded as a civil aircraft, in 1921. On the R36's 14 June 1921 trial flight, with journalists and Metropolitan Police
representatives aboard, to assess the airship's value for road-traffic control during the Ascot Races, he served as an officer under Major George Herbert Scott
(who had commanded the R34 on its Atlantic crossing in 1919 and was to become another victim of the R101 disaster) .
On 21 June, however, Irwin and Scott were involved in an incident with the same ship when, approaching RNAS Pulham
, Scott "took over from Lt Irwin and decided to direct the landing himself." An excessively rapid approach to the mooring mast
led to a violent deceleration and accidental ballast release, causing a sudden pitch-up that badly damaged the ship's bow. Irwin "broke down" on seeing the scale of the damage. The accident was attributed to equipment failure, and the R36 never flew again (despite various proposals to recommission it), remaining in its hangar until broken up in June 1926. The episode was not the first landing accident in which Scott had been involved and foreshadowed several incidents involving the R101. Subsequently, Irwin became captain of the R80
.
Irwin held ground positions at RAF Headquarters (Coastal Area), at RAF Leuchars
and with the Air Ministry
's Director of Operations and Intelligence before his first transfer to the RAW in 1924. After being transferred back to the RAF (see below), he commanded the RAF School of Balloon Training at Larkhill
, Salisbury Plain
, between 1926 and 1928. He was granted a permanent commission as Flight Lieutenant on January 1, 1926.
Although on secondment to the RAW, Irwin was studying in his spare time for his RAF promotional examination at the time of his death. (However, he was the intended commander of the R101's proposed successor, R102
; Atherstone would then have taken command of the R101.)
from the private-sector Airship Guarantee Company, a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrongs. Irwin was involved in the programme in two capacities: initially commanding the R33 on experimental flights to aid the design of the new ships and later as captain of the R101.
on 2 April 1925. Under his command, the ship flew to Pulham for aerodynamic testing. However, the R33 broke away from its mast, at a time when Irwin was not aboard, during a gale on the night of 16–17 April and—after being blown backwards to the Netherlands, then making a safe return to Pulham—spent six months in its hangar, undergoing repairs that included the complete replacement of the nose section. The R33 returned to service in October, then was mothballed again in the spring of 1926 and resurrected in October of that year before its final withdrawal in November; it was eventually broken up in 1928. Irwin transferred back to the RAF in 1926.
at 0800 on 18 November, Irwin "took over for the Forenoon Watch and flew the ship in majestic sweeps over his native land and city"; the R101 then passed down the coast to Bray
and "gave the Kingstown
–Holyhead
mail boat a good start and then hooshed past her headed for the same place." In Anglesey
, the ship overflew Rhosneigr
, where Irwin's mother lived. According to the report of the subsequent inquiry into the R101 disaster, the R101's performance on this flight "gave much satisfaction" to both Irwin and Major Scott.
, expressed his interest in making a flight to India after travelling as a passenger on the new airship's second flight. However, the R101, as originally built, had insufficient disposable lift to make the flight. Weight-saving measures and efforts to improve lift were initiated and completed in early 1930. R101 made three flights in late June 1930 and in a report to Scott on 1 July, Irwin expressed concerns over "flapping" of the ship's outer cover, possible malfunctioning of gas valves and "an abundance of holes" in the gas cells due to chafing against girders.
The R101 then returned to its shed for rebuilding with an added section. It came out of the shed on 1 October and departed later that day on what would be its only test flight before departure for India. However, the flight, planned to last 24 hours, was cut short to 16 hours 51 minutes. At the inquiry following the crash Irwin and the other officers were described as "undoubtedly well satisfied with the performance of the ship" but Squadron Leader Ralph Booth, captain of the R100, told the inquiry that he had no reason to think that Irwin had changed his previous view that "more elaborate trials in bad weather would be expedient", and the inquiry report stated that it was "impossible to avoid agreeing" with Booth's opinion.
It was eventually decided that the flight from Cardington to Karachi
(then northern British India, now Pakistan
) and back, with a stop at Ismaïlia
, Egypt, in both directions, would set out on 4 October 1930. Lord Thomson, Director of Civil Aviation Sefton Brancker
and other dignitaries would be aboard. Major Scott was in charge of the flight. He had travelled on the R100's trip to Montreal
and back in July and August 1930. As he explained his position to a Flight
correspondent he was "officer in command of the flight" and decided "all such points as when the ship would sail, her course, her speed, her altitude." Irwin was the airship's captain - in charge of the crew and discipline." As James Leasor
phrased it in his book The Millionth Chance, "Scott was in the position of an Admiral
in his flagship; Irwin was the flagship captain and responsible for [crew] discipline."
Leasor quoted Elsie O'Neill, the widow of one of the passengers, to the effect that Irwin "kept on saying 'They're rushing us. We're not ready, we're just not ready'" when she and her husband visited the ship prior to the flight. However, Sir Peter Masefield, another historian of the R101, believed that "Colmore [the Director of Airship Development], Scott, Richmond
[the ship's designer] and Irwin were all satisfied that the airship was sound and airworthy and that the flight...could be mounted in confidence". Notwithstanding this, both Masefield and the inquiry report observed that the programme of trial flights that Irwin himself drew up in 1929 had not been completed at the time of departure.
, in early 1925. The couple were married at Holy Trinity Church, Fareham, on September 23, 1926. In Bedford, the Irwins lived at Long Acre, Putnoe Lane; the R101 overflew their house on its final, ill-fated flight.
After Irwin's death, his widow received an annual pension of £100, plus a gratuity of £200. The couple had no children.
, the presence of only three watch-keeping officers - Irwin, Atherstone, and second officer Maurice Steff - on board meant that "there was no alternative but for...each to take his turn in three-hour shifts."
Irwin was in charge of the ship's departure from the Cardington mast, which took place at 18:36. He then came on watch at 23:00; about two hours later, he spoke to Harry Leech (a foreman engineer from the Airship Works, who survived the accident) and William Gent (chief engineer of the R101, who did not survive) in the ship's smoking room but "made no remark about the behaviour of the ship except that the after-engine [which had given trouble earlier] was continuing to run satisfactorily".
At 02:00 on 5 October, by which time the ship was cruising in stormy conditions over northern France (the weather outlook having worsened significantly since departure), Irwin was relieved by Steff and went directly to bed. At this time, he apparently "felt no concern about the progress of the flight or the integrity of R101." However, errors in Irwin's midnight radio message may have reflected the effects of fatigue; moreover, Steff was less experienced than Irwin and, likewise, the coxswains who operated the airship's elevator and rudder controls were less experienced than their counterparts on the preceding watch. Thus, the crew's ability to cope with any crisis that might arise may have been reduced.
Within seven minutes of the change of watch, the R101 entered an uncommanded dive, then recovered slightly before entering a second dive, making contact with the ground at low forward speed, ploughing into the edge of a wood (the Bois des Coutûmes at Allonne, Oise
, near Beauvais
) and catching fire at about 02:09. Of the 54 people aboard, 46, including Irwin and all the other officers of the ship, were killed; two more died later in hospital.
The subsequent inquiry attributed the ship's descent to a "substantial loss of gas".
." The bodies were transported to London via special trains and warships before lying in state
in Westminster Hall. Irwin's body was identified in London. Following a memorial service at St. Paul's Cathedral on 11 October, the victims were taken by special train to Bedford for burial in a common grave in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Cardington.
, an Irish medium, claimed to have made contact with Irwin at a séance
held with Harry Price
at the National Laboratory of Psychical Research
two days after the disaster, while attempting to contact the then recently deceased Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
, and discussed possible causes of the accident. The event "attracted worldwide attention", thanks to the presence of a reporter. Major Oliver Villiers, a friend of Brancker, Scott, Irwin, Colmore and others aboard the ship, participated in further séances with Garrett, at which he claimed to have contacted both Irwin and other victims. However, Garrett's claims have been questioned by several commentators.
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Herbert Carmichael "Bird" Irwin, AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(26 June 1894 - 5 October 1930) was an Irish aviator and athlete. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Irwin joined the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
(RNAS), where he commanded non-rigid airship
Non-rigid airship
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
s. After the war, the "tall sensitive Irishman" commanded larger rigid airship
Rigid airship
A rigid airship is a type of airship in which the envelope retained its shape by the use of an internal structural framework rather than by being forced into shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope as used in blimps and semi-rigid airships.Rigid airships were produced and...
s, initially for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) and later on secondment to the (civilian) Royal Airship Works as part of the Imperial Airship Scheme
Imperial Airship Scheme
The British Imperial Airship Scheme was a project to improve communication with the far corners of the British Empire by establishing air routes using airships...
.
Both before and after the war, Irwin also had a successful career as a middle- and long-distance
Long-distance track event
Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...
and cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
runner, and he represented Great Britain at the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
in Antwerp, Belgium.
Irwin's career as an aviator culminated in his command of the airship R101
R101
R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airship completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry-appointed team and was effectively in competition...
, the largest airship in the world at the time. He was killed along with another 47 people when it crashed in northern France on a flight from Britain to India.
Early life
Herbert Carmichael Irwin was born in DundrumDundrum, Dublin
Dundrum , originally a town in its own right, is now a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland.The area is located in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and Dublin 16.-History:...
, County Dublin, on 26 June 1894, the second of four sons born to Thomas Frederick Irwin, a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
, and his wife Elinor Emily Lindsay Carroll, a daughter of the rector of Dundrum. He was baptised in Taney Parish
Taney Parish
Taney is a populous parish in the Church of Ireland, located in the Dundrum area of Dublin.-Early history:Taney's origins go back to the early Irish saint Nathi, who in the 6th century established a centre for monastic life. This centre may have been on what is now the site of St. Nahi's Church in...
on 1 August. Irwin's father and two uncles, Herbert Irwin and Major General Sir James Murray Irwin
James Murray Irwin
- External links :*...
, were noted members of the Dublin University Rowing Club
Dublin University Boat Club
Dublin University Boat Club is the Rowing club of Trinity College, Dublin. The club operates from its boat house at Memorial Park, Islandbridge, on the South Bank of the River Liffey...
, and one of his grandmothers was a sister of Major-General Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes
Herbert Benjamin Edwardes
Major-General Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes DCL KCSI KCB was an English administrator, soldier, and statesman active in the Punjab, India. He is best known as the "Hero of Multan" for his pivotal role in securing the British victory in the Second Anglo-Sikh War.-Early life:Edwardes was born at...
. His godfather was Sir Thomas Myles
Thomas Myles
Sir Thomas Myles, CB was a prominent Irish Home Ruler and surgeon, involved in the importation of arms for the Irish Volunteers in 1914....
, a well-known Dublin surgeon, Home Rule campaigner and, later, gunrunner for the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
.
Irwin attended St. Andrew's College, Dublin
St. Andrew's College, Dublin
St. Andrew's College - is a co-educational inter-denominational, international day school, founded in 1894 by members of the Presbyterian community, and now located in Booterstown, Dublin, Ireland.St...
, from August 1909 to June 1913.
Athletic career
Irwin was a member of the Dublin athletic club Clonliffe HarriersClonliffe Harriers
Clonliffe Harriers is a Dublin-based athletics club. They were founded in 1886, and are the oldest athletic club in Ireland. They have been based in Morton Stadium since the 1950s. The club has top-class international coaches in all disciplines and a lively training programme for all levels. The...
, which commemorates him with a trophy, the Irwin Memorial Challenge Cup. Aged 18, in 1914, he was the Irish four-mile champion, as well as the winner of the Irish senior and junior cross-country championships. After the war, he went on to represent Great Britain at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp.
At the Games, Irwin finished second in Semifinal 1 of the men's 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
on 16 August, achieving a career best. However, he was unable to repeat his performance in the final on the following day, finishing only twelfth. After the event, Irwin went on to be the Irish mile
Mile run
The mile run is a middle-distance foot race which is among the more popular events in track running.The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races...
and four-mile champion in 1921. He was also the RAF mile champion in 1920 and RAF three-mile champion in 1919, 1920 and 1922.
Irwin's personal bests were 4:33.8 in the mile (set in 1920), 15:15.6 in the three miles (set in 1919) and 15:17.8 in the 5000 metres (set at the 1920 Olympics).
Military career
Irwin joined the RNAS in 1915 and was entered as a Probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant on 13 August of that year. He went on to command non-rigid airships of the SS ZeroSSZ class blimp
|-See also:-External links:*...
, Coastal
Coastal class blimp
The Coastal Class were a class of blimp used by the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. The C class blimp operated by the United States Navy after the war was a completely unrelated design. In total 35 Coastals were built, all at RNAS Kingsnorth, Kent...
and NS
NS class blimp
The British NS class blimps were the largest and last in a succession of non-rigid airship designs that served with the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I; developed from experiences gained with earlier classes to operate off the east coast of Britain on long-range patrols...
types "in Home Waters and the East Mediterranean" during 1916 and 1917 and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant with seniority 1 April 1917. At RNAS East Fortune
East Fortune
East Fortune is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, located 2 miles north west of East Linton. The area is known for its airfield which was constructed in 1915 to help protect Britain from attack by German Zeppelin airships during the First World War. The RNAS airship station also included an...
, Scotland, he "enjoyed the reputation of having the smartest ship." Under the RAF, which subsumed the RNAS in 1918, he was granted a short-service commission as Flight Lieutenant on 24 October 1919.
Irwin subsequently commanded the rigid R29
R23X class airship
-References:* Griehl, Manfred and Joachim Dressel. Zeppelin! The German Airship Story, 1990 ISBN 1-85409-045-3* Morpurgo, J.E. Barnes Wallis - A Biography, Longman, 1972 ISBN 0-582-10360-6...
, with Noël Atherstone, who would again be his second-in-command on R101, as his first officer. He became captain of the R36, by now regarded as a civil aircraft, in 1921. On the R36's 14 June 1921 trial flight, with journalists and Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
representatives aboard, to assess the airship's value for road-traffic control during the Ascot Races, he served as an officer under Major George Herbert Scott
George Herbert Scott
Major George Herbert Scott, CBE, AFC, was a pioneering British airship pilot and engineer. After serving in the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force during World War I, Scott went on to command the airship R34 on its return Atlantic crossing in 1919, which marked the first transatlantic...
(who had commanded the R34 on its Atlantic crossing in 1919 and was to become another victim of the R101 disaster) .
On 21 June, however, Irwin and Scott were involved in an incident with the same ship when, approaching RNAS Pulham
RNAS Pulham
RNAS Pulham was an Royal Navy Air Service airship station, south of Norwich, UK. Though land was purchased by the Navy in 1912 the site was not operational until 1915...
, Scott "took over from Lt Irwin and decided to direct the landing himself." An excessively rapid approach to the mooring mast
Mooring mast
A mooring mast, or mooring tower, is a structure designed to allow for the docking of an airship outside of an airship hangar or similar structure...
led to a violent deceleration and accidental ballast release, causing a sudden pitch-up that badly damaged the ship's bow. Irwin "broke down" on seeing the scale of the damage. The accident was attributed to equipment failure, and the R36 never flew again (despite various proposals to recommission it), remaining in its hangar until broken up in June 1926. The episode was not the first landing accident in which Scott had been involved and foreshadowed several incidents involving the R101. Subsequently, Irwin became captain of the R80
R80
-References:* Manfred Griehl and Joachim Dressel, Zeppelin! The German Airship Story, 1990 ISBN 1-85409-045-3*J.E. Morpurgo, Barnes Wallis - A Biography, Longman, 1972 ISBN 0-582-10360-6...
.
Irwin held ground positions at RAF Headquarters (Coastal Area), at RAF Leuchars
RAF Leuchars
RAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
and with the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
's Director of Operations and Intelligence before his first transfer to the RAW in 1924. After being transferred back to the RAF (see below), he commanded the RAF School of Balloon Training at Larkhill
Larkhill
Larkhill is a garrison town in the civil parish of Durrington, Wiltshire, England. It is a short distance west of Durrington village proper and north of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. It is about north of Salisbury....
, Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
, between 1926 and 1928. He was granted a permanent commission as Flight Lieutenant on January 1, 1926.
Although on secondment to the RAW, Irwin was studying in his spare time for his RAF promotional examination at the time of his death. (However, he was the intended commander of the R101's proposed successor, R102
R102
|-See also:-References:*...
; Atherstone would then have taken command of the R101.)
The Imperial Airship Scheme
Proposals for an airship network linking Britain to its colonies and dominions emerged in the early 1920s but, due to economic and political factors, only bore fruit with the 1929 launch of two large prototype passenger airships from competing manufacturers, the R101 from the state-owned RAW and the R100R100
HM Airship R100 was a privately designed and built rigid airship made as part of a two-ship competition to develop new techniques for a projected larger commercial airship for use on British empire routes...
from the private-sector Airship Guarantee Company, a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrongs. Irwin was involved in the programme in two capacities: initially commanding the R33 on experimental flights to aid the design of the new ships and later as captain of the R101.
R33
Irwin was transferred to the RAW on December 1, 1924. He took command of the R33, which had been recommissioned as part of the programme after four years in mothballs, at CardingtonCardington, Bedfordshire
Cardington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, EnglandPart of the ancient hundred of Wixamtree, the settlement is best known in connection with the Cardington airship works founded by Short Brothers during World War I, which later became an RAF training station...
on 2 April 1925. Under his command, the ship flew to Pulham for aerodynamic testing. However, the R33 broke away from its mast, at a time when Irwin was not aboard, during a gale on the night of 16–17 April and—after being blown backwards to the Netherlands, then making a safe return to Pulham—spent six months in its hangar, undergoing repairs that included the complete replacement of the nose section. The R33 returned to service in October, then was mothballed again in the spring of 1926 and resurrected in October of that year before its final withdrawal in November; it was eventually broken up in 1928. Irwin transferred back to the RAF in 1926.
Early flights and incidents
In 1929, Irwin returned to the Royal Airship Works to command the newly completed R101, which first flew on 14 October. However, the ship's second flight on 18 October ended in an unfortunate incident, reminiscent of the one that had ended the R36's career and again involving Scott, who by now was Officer in Charge of Flying and Training at the Works. Scott "not only insisted on taking over for the landing from [Irwin] but also made a mess of the job," upsetting the ship's trim and permitting it to over-ride the Cardington mooring mast. Irwin and Atherstone were "thoroughly upset" by the episode. Subsequently, on 21 October, Scott took over from Irwin while moving the R101 from the mast to its shed and "so confused the issues" that the task was greatly protracted. Other incidents took place on the ship's third flight on 1 November when Scott released ballast during the landing without Irwin's knowledge and on the subsequent flight, when Scott took charge while landing at Cardington on 3 November and caused damage to one of the mooring mast's reefing booms.The endurance flight
On 17 and 18 November 1929, the R101 made an "endurance" flight of over 30 hours' duration (in fact, this flight was to be the longest the ship ever completed), taking the airship over England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. According to Atherstone's diary, as the R101 approached Dublin BayDublin Bay
Dublin Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south...
at 0800 on 18 November, Irwin "took over for the Forenoon Watch and flew the ship in majestic sweeps over his native land and city"; the R101 then passed down the coast to Bray
Bray
Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census...
and "gave the Kingstown
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
–Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
mail boat a good start and then hooshed past her headed for the same place." In Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, the ship overflew Rhosneigr
Rhosneigr
Rhosneigr is a village in the south-west of Anglesey, North Wales. It is situated on the A4080 road some 10km south-east of Holyhead, and is on the Anglesey Coastal Path. From the clock at the centre of the village can be seen RAF Valley and Holyhead Mountain...
, where Irwin's mother lived. According to the report of the subsequent inquiry into the R101 disaster, the R101's performance on this flight "gave much satisfaction" to both Irwin and Major Scott.
Modifications and preparations for the India flight
Lord Thomson, the Secretary of State for AirSecretary of State for Air
The Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force...
, expressed his interest in making a flight to India after travelling as a passenger on the new airship's second flight. However, the R101, as originally built, had insufficient disposable lift to make the flight. Weight-saving measures and efforts to improve lift were initiated and completed in early 1930. R101 made three flights in late June 1930 and in a report to Scott on 1 July, Irwin expressed concerns over "flapping" of the ship's outer cover, possible malfunctioning of gas valves and "an abundance of holes" in the gas cells due to chafing against girders.
The R101 then returned to its shed for rebuilding with an added section. It came out of the shed on 1 October and departed later that day on what would be its only test flight before departure for India. However, the flight, planned to last 24 hours, was cut short to 16 hours 51 minutes. At the inquiry following the crash Irwin and the other officers were described as "undoubtedly well satisfied with the performance of the ship" but Squadron Leader Ralph Booth, captain of the R100, told the inquiry that he had no reason to think that Irwin had changed his previous view that "more elaborate trials in bad weather would be expedient", and the inquiry report stated that it was "impossible to avoid agreeing" with Booth's opinion.
It was eventually decided that the flight from Cardington to Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
(then northern British India, now Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) and back, with a stop at Ismaïlia
Ismaïlia
-Notable natives:*Osman Ahmed Osman, a famous and influential Egyptian engineer, contractor, entrepreneur, and politician, was born in this town on 6 April 1917....
, Egypt, in both directions, would set out on 4 October 1930. Lord Thomson, Director of Civil Aviation Sefton Brancker
Sefton Brancker
Air Vice-Marshal Sir William Sefton Brancker KCB AFC , commonly known as Sir Sefton Brancker, was a pioneer in British civil and military aviation.-Early life:...
and other dignitaries would be aboard. Major Scott was in charge of the flight. He had travelled on the R100's trip to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and back in July and August 1930. As he explained his position to a Flight
Flight International
Flight International is a global aerospace weekly publication produced in the UK. Founded in 1909, it is the world's oldest continuously published aviation news magazine...
correspondent he was "officer in command of the flight" and decided "all such points as when the ship would sail, her course, her speed, her altitude." Irwin was the airship's captain - in charge of the crew and discipline." As James Leasor
James Leasor
James Leasor was a prolific British author, who wrote historical books and thrillers. Leasor's 1978 book, Boarding Party, about an incident that took place in the Second World War, was turned into a film, The Sea Wolves, starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven.-Biography:Leasor was born...
phrased it in his book The Millionth Chance, "Scott was in the position of an Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
in his flagship; Irwin was the flagship captain and responsible for [crew] discipline."
Leasor quoted Elsie O'Neill, the widow of one of the passengers, to the effect that Irwin "kept on saying 'They're rushing us. We're not ready, we're just not ready'" when she and her husband visited the ship prior to the flight. However, Sir Peter Masefield, another historian of the R101, believed that "Colmore [the Director of Airship Development], Scott, Richmond
Vincent Crane Richmond
Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Crane Richmond OBE B.Sc., A.R.C. F.R.A.S was an Englishengineer and airship designer. He served first with the Royal Naval Air Service then the Royal Air Force...
[the ship's designer] and Irwin were all satisfied that the airship was sound and airworthy and that the flight...could be mounted in confidence". Notwithstanding this, both Masefield and the inquiry report observed that the programme of trial flights that Irwin himself drew up in 1929 had not been completed at the time of departure.
Personal life
Irwin became engaged to Olivia Marjory Macdonald Teacher, daughter of Dr and Mrs Charles C. Teacher of Fareham, Hampshire, and formerly of North BerwickNorth Berwick
The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...
, in early 1925. The couple were married at Holy Trinity Church, Fareham, on September 23, 1926. In Bedford, the Irwins lived at Long Acre, Putnoe Lane; the R101 overflew their house on its final, ill-fated flight.
After Irwin's death, his widow received an annual pension of £100, plus a gratuity of £200. The couple had no children.
R101's final flight
Irwin came on duty before 06:00 GMT on 4 October 1930, in preparation for departure later that day; he "had very little rest while shouldering the chief responsibility for the preparations for departure and for the VIP passengers on board." Moreover, although the captain was theoretically not required to stand watchWatchstanding
Watchstanding, or watchkeeping, in nautical terms concerns the division of qualified personnel to operate a ship continuously around the clock. On a typical sea going vessel, be it naval or merchant, personnel keep watch on the bridge and over the running machinery...
, the presence of only three watch-keeping officers - Irwin, Atherstone, and second officer Maurice Steff - on board meant that "there was no alternative but for...each to take his turn in three-hour shifts."
Irwin was in charge of the ship's departure from the Cardington mast, which took place at 18:36. He then came on watch at 23:00; about two hours later, he spoke to Harry Leech (a foreman engineer from the Airship Works, who survived the accident) and William Gent (chief engineer of the R101, who did not survive) in the ship's smoking room but "made no remark about the behaviour of the ship except that the after-engine [which had given trouble earlier] was continuing to run satisfactorily".
At 02:00 on 5 October, by which time the ship was cruising in stormy conditions over northern France (the weather outlook having worsened significantly since departure), Irwin was relieved by Steff and went directly to bed. At this time, he apparently "felt no concern about the progress of the flight or the integrity of R101." However, errors in Irwin's midnight radio message may have reflected the effects of fatigue; moreover, Steff was less experienced than Irwin and, likewise, the coxswains who operated the airship's elevator and rudder controls were less experienced than their counterparts on the preceding watch. Thus, the crew's ability to cope with any crisis that might arise may have been reduced.
Within seven minutes of the change of watch, the R101 entered an uncommanded dive, then recovered slightly before entering a second dive, making contact with the ground at low forward speed, ploughing into the edge of a wood (the Bois des Coutûmes at Allonne, Oise
Allonne, Oise
Allonne is a village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-History:The R101 British airship crashed during the night on October 5, 1930, in Allone during its maiden overseas voyage, between London and Karachi, killing 48 people....
, near Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
) and catching fire at about 02:09. Of the 54 people aboard, 46, including Irwin and all the other officers of the ship, were killed; two more died later in hospital.
The subsequent inquiry attributed the ship's descent to a "substantial loss of gas".
Funeral
Irwin and the other victims received "full state honoursState funerals in the United Kingdom
A state funeral in the United Kingdom consists of a military procession using a gun carriage from the private resting chapel to Westminster Hall, where the body usually lies in state for three days...
." The bodies were transported to London via special trains and warships before lying in state
Lying in state
Lying in state is a term used to describe the tradition in which a coffin is placed on view to allow the public at large to pay their respects to the deceased. It traditionally takes place in the principal government building of a country or city...
in Westminster Hall. Irwin's body was identified in London. Following a memorial service at St. Paul's Cathedral on 11 October, the victims were taken by special train to Bedford for burial in a common grave in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Cardington.
Paranormal claims
Eileen J. GarrettEileen J. Garrett
Eileen J. Garrett was an Irish medium, founder of the Parapsychology Foundation in New York City, and a leading figure in the scientific study of paranormal phenomena during the mid-20th century.-Ireland:...
, an Irish medium, claimed to have made contact with Irwin at a séance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
held with Harry Price
Harry Price
Harry Price was a British psychic researcher and author.-Early life:Although Price claimed his birth was in Shropshire, he was actually born in London in Red Lion Square on the site of the South Place Ethical Society's Conway Hall. He was educated in New Cross, first at Waller Road Infants School...
at the National Laboratory of Psychical Research
National Laboratory of Psychical Research
The National Laboratory of Psychical Research was established in 1925 by Harry Price, at 13 Roland Gardens, London, S.W.7. Their aim was 'to investigate in a dispassionate manner and by purely scientific means every phase of psychic or alleged psychic phenomena'.The honorary president was The Lord...
two days after the disaster, while attempting to contact the then recently deceased Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
, and discussed possible causes of the accident. The event "attracted worldwide attention", thanks to the presence of a reporter. Major Oliver Villiers, a friend of Brancker, Scott, Irwin, Colmore and others aboard the ship, participated in further séances with Garrett, at which he claimed to have contacted both Irwin and other victims. However, Garrett's claims have been questioned by several commentators.