The R-100 over Kingston, 1930

A picture of an airplane, a ship, a train is just a picture - unless a local landmark or scene is included in the photo. This Whig-Standard photo, published March 1, 1978 and credited to Mrs. George Moy of RR1, Glenburnie clearly shows the R-100 flying over the lake with Kingston City Hall in the foreground on August 11, 1930. Mrs. Moy noted that she took the photo with a Brownie box camera while standing in the vicinity of the New Canton Restaurant on Brock Street. Interestingly, though thousands were alerted to the fly-by of airship R-100 from Toronto to Montreal, Mrs. Moy believed she was the only person to have snapped such a photo! To solidify the moment, it appears someone has touched up the print, highlighting the R-100 lettering on the side of the airship.

Unfortunately, the captioning and subsequent articles by columnist Lynn Jones published in August, 1980 and October, 1993 contained quite a few inaccuracies. (1950, not 1930 for instance!) Knowing my Dad was a fan of all things British, and the fact that he grew up during the airship era, I was not surprised to find a documentary summary of information on 'His Majesty's Airship R-100' on its visit to Canada, and I can certainly trust his facts:

 

You'll note under the second bullet point, my Dad's capital-letters account of seeing the R-100 on its way from Montreal to Ottawa. The R-100's flight from Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto would have been made at night, under a full moon, heading west over Kingston 12 hours before its daylight appearance (top photo).

Over 2,000 Kingston residents gathered on rooftops, with the largest crowds atop the LaSalle Hotel and the Mutual Relief Insurance building. Crowds also filled Market Square and lined Ontario Street. At King and Brock Streets, a Colonial Coach Line bus driver obligingly let his passengers disembark to see the passing airship. Large crowds also filled Macdonald Park and waterfront along King Street. Its route took it from the lake and Wolfe Island, towards land at Kingston Penitentiary, then along the waterfront flying as low and slow as practicable. A great roar went up from the crowds and handkerchiefs waved as the airship continued on over Navy Bay, thence east to Brockville and Montreal.

Interestingly, the newspaper including the account of the August, 1930 passage R-100 also included this tidbit: "Twelve year-old George Lilley won first class honors in intermediate piano and passed principal theory at the Toronto Conservatory of Music. As a result, his prowess was featured in a Saturday night edition of the Toronto Evening Telegram." Just a junior pianist? No, Mr Lilley would go on to become a prolific photographer for the Whig and many other newspapers, and he took most of the photos featured in my two books on Kingston's waterfront history!

Uncredited photo of R-100 over Wellington and Clarence Streets (above) and a Martello tower (below).