VOLUME 1 – FROM ASHES. The opening scenes of one of the most exciting periods in British history : adapted from The Airshipmen. (The Airshipmen Trilogy is also available as one volume, without photographs and maps. For details and reviews go to The Airshipmen page.)
A riveting story that plays out against the background of one of the most intriguing chapters in aviation history. David Dennington weaves a fascinating web of romance, courage, tragedy and shattered dreams and gives the reader a front row seat to eye-opening, high-stakes political battles on two continents. A real page turner with the constant feeling that something new and unexpected is about to unfold. David Wright, Daily Mirror journalist.
DEATH ON THE HUMBER: One hundred years ago on August 21st, 1921, a sleek silver airship flew back from the North Sea, across the Holderness Plain toward the city of Hull in northern England. The brand new, state of the art airship had one last rigorous test to perform before being flown to her new home in Lakehurst, New Jersey, U.S.A. This test cost the lives of 28 British airshipmen and 16 American airshipmen when the vessel went down in flames over the River Humber in a horrifying accident that would scar the city for decades. The events of that day had far-reaching consequences for the British Airship Programme, as well as the lives of thousands of people in Bedford and Howden, those in government and indeed, across the globe. From the ashes of Airship R38/ZR-2 a new imperial dream was created in the mind of the charismatic, indomitable, Brigadier General Lord Thomson of Cardington, who set in motion the new British Airship Programme, designed to link the empire around the globe. The only difference—airships would now be safe with lessons learned. However, the specter of R38/ZR-2 would hang over them for the rest of their days.
To commemorate the centennial of this event, a special edition of The Airshipmen is now being published as a trilogy, with many wonderful photographs of the characters, the airships and the locations and maps from that era.
With the help of his daughter, Lauren, actor, writer, consulting editor and muse, David Dennington skillfully weaves an epic story around this fascinating era, bringing history alive through tales of tragedy, heroism and love of those who built and flew these leviathans.
After WW1, Lou Remington leaves the Marine Corps and joins the Navy to fly airships. He is sent to England to train with his crew to fly R38/ZR-2 back to New Jersey. After a terrible accident, he falls in love and settles down to a blissful life in rural Yorkshire. But the British come knocking at his door with offers for him to assist in building the safest and mightiest airships the world has ever seen. Accepting the position could lead to a spectacular career with infinite rewards—or maybe cost him his life.
The British Airship Program is a morass of infighting and political intrigue. Two teams are pitted against each other, each to design and build their own massive airship, modeled as ocean liners of the sky—one will fly to Canada, the other to India. By design, only one team will survive this deadly competition. As an outsider and seconded liaison officer between the two teams, Lou Remington’s mission is simple: Keep the peace between the warring parties and help prevent another national tragedy. But it is the misguided passions of the charismatic Lord Thomson, which have more to do with a certain Romanian princess than with aviation, which threaten Lou’s goals and forever change the lives of all involved, foreshadowing the demise of the British Empire.
