Aha, I found an answer to this question I asked previously (but raised initially by @CardingtonSheds I think?) about the fate of Wopsie, the kitten mascot aboard the airship R.34’s record breaking double Atlantic crossing in July 1919. #R34100 Thread follows...
I just received, through the post, a batch of (this week’s guest publication) ‘Dirigible’, the Journal of the Airship Heritage Trust @Airshipsonline. No. 85 from Autumn 2018 has a feature on Fl. Lt. ‘Rex’ Durrant AFC, chief Wireless Officer on the R.34 Atlantic flights #R34100
It provides a summary of Durrant’s career extracted from a scrapbook donated to AHT by his step-grandson. There are press clippings of a reunion of surviving R.34 crew organised by Durrant on 13th July 1949, 30 years to the day that R34 completed her recordbreaking trip #R34100
More on the reunion in future, but 2 of the press articles refer to the cat Wopsie, although intriguingly Durrant seems to have renamed her as ‘Jazz’, same name as the cat taken by Durrant to the dinner (remember that this is 30 years after the Atlantic flights!)... #R34100
CAT GUEST AT R34 REUNION
6 men held a reunion dinner at a restaurant in London’s West End last night & the guest of honour was a small black cat. The men were members of the crew of the airship R34 which 30 years ago this month made the first East-to-West crossing of the Atlantic
6 men held a reunion dinner at a restaurant in London’s West End last night & the guest of honour was a small black cat. The men were members of the crew of the airship R34 which 30 years ago this month made the first East-to-West crossing of the Atlantic
The cat, Jazz, is a direct descendant of the airship’s mascot on that historic flight... Mr Durrant, who organised the reunion, said last night: “Jazz was her mascot on the trip, and after the successful return flight from America I took responsibility for her safety.” #R34100
“ she lived to a ripe age and produced many kittens. Each man here tonight insisted on seeing her latest descendent.”... The article goes on to say: “Mr Durrant want to cross the Atlantic again in the modern passenger plane and compare the experience.” #R34100
Durrant added: “If I can ever afford the trip I shall take jazzes last surviving descendant with me.” (Sunday Empire News Reporter - no date). So it seems he took over ownership of Wopsie from George Graham & renamed her Jazz, & she seems to have had a long & happy life! #R34100
Jazz’s rather than jazzes. Darned autocorrect!
@threadreaderapp please unroll
