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at night and the first from
England to France. The journey was not without incident, including dropping the maps over the side during the night, and problems with the envelope caused the airship to land at
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on 11 July 1886. His parents were Joseph
Thompson Willows (1859-1931) and Evelina "Eva" Louisa Willows, née Garrett (1858-1953). Both English-born, Willows' father was a dental surgeon born in
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279:. Willows was killed instantly, along with a passenger. Three other passengers died later that day either in hospital or on their way, making five deaths in all.
188:, in 1905 when he was 19. It was first flown from East Moors, Cardiff on 5 August 1905, the flight lasting 85 minutes. This was soon followed by an improved
308:(2012); citing Birth Registration, Cardiff, Glamorganshire, Wales, citing General Register Office, Southport, England. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
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built on his old airfield to remember him. There is also a pub called The Ernest
Willows which is situated not far from the school.
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Willows had two sisters: Doris May (1895-1961) and Daisy, the latter of whom was born in 1888 and died at about 2 months of age.
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the airship was repaired and arrived at Paris on 28 December 1910. He celebrated New Year's Eve with a flight around the
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in
Cardiff. After the war, he continued with ballooning. On 3 August 1926, he died in a balloon accident at Hoo Park,
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315:(Sun Nov 12 12:05:32 UTC 2023), Entry for Richard Garrett and Susan Garrett, 1881. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
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Ernest's mother, Eva, previously worked as a music teacher before marrying in 1885 and starting a family.
304:(1 October 2014), Ernest Thompson Willows, 1886; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database,
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With the money from the Navy, Willows established a spherical gas balloon school at Welsh Harp,
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Willows, however, had different plans for his career. He built his first airship, the
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in 1913. This airship was a four-seater designed to give joy rides over London.
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at two o'clock in the morning. With the help of the local French aviator
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300:"England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database,
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Willows with his father, mother, and sister Doris May in c. 1899.
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on 4 June 1910. No. 2 was re-built as No. 3 which he named the
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Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in
England
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/bedfordshirepolice/7372169822/
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for £1,050 and it became His
Majesty's Naval Airship No. 2.
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near London. Although, this did not stop him building
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to hold a pilot's certificate for an airship when the
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in 1910. This was the first airship crossing of the
403:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1926
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330:Lieut.-Col. W. Lockwood Marsh (3 January 1930).
115:builder. He became the first person in the
263:During the first World War, Willows built
240:. First flown in 1912, it was sold to the
357:https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
359:Search for Kempston Hoo balloon accident
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332:"Twenty-one Years of Airship Progress"
320:Ernest Willows, Welsh Aviation Pioneer
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398:People educated at Clifton College
311:"England and Wales Census, 1881",
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125:Airship Pilots Certificate No. 1
236:to build his next airship, the
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349:Bedfordshire Police account
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107:(1886–1926) was a pioneer
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16:Welsh aviator (1886–1926)
287:There is a school named
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160:Willows was educated at
200:before he flew it from
105:Ernest Thompson Willows
33:Ernest Thompson Willows
25:Ernest Willows, c. 1908
393:Engineers from Cardiff
318:Phil Carradine (2010)
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339:. Retrieved
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69:(1926-08-03)
49:11 July 1886
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378:1926 deaths
373:1886 births
87:Nationality
367:Categories
341:5 February
306:findmypast
295:References
234:Birmingham
131:Early life
45:1886-07-11
242:Admiralty
81:, England
273:Kempston
215:Corbehem
75:Kempston
277:Bedford
166:Bristol
137:Cardiff
113:airship
90:British
79:Bedford
53:Cardiff
326:Blogs.
283:Legacy
249:Hendon
202:London
322:from
259:Death
219:Douai
217:near
206:Paris
141:Wales
109:Welsh
57:Wales
343:2009
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64:Died
39:Born
324:BBC
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