Find lights a trail that could lead back to airship disaster

Airship R-38 on its first trial flight 23 June 1921

It is thought they were made from metal salvaged from the wreckage of the famous R.38 airship which crashed over the Humber on August 24, 1921, claiming the lives of 44 people.

Businesswoman Carol Cavanagh, 47, bought the eight-inch tall candlesticks and the other items for £90 at Haltemprice Auctions, Woodmansey.

Now she hopes to have them authenticated - before donating them to a museum.

One of the sticks is marked to the base R38/ZR2, August 24th 1921. It also appears to have an indistinct maker’s mark.

“Someone wanted to buy the candlesticks from me straight after the auction but I refused,” she said. “They could be an important piece of local history and if so I would like to donate them to a museum where they can be appreciated.”

Robert Miller, managing director at Hemswell Antique Centres, said antique dealers were often at the forefront when it came to the preservation of items of historical worth. “Without the research carried out by many antique dealers such items can easily be disregarded or even thrown away,” he said.

The R.38 was carrying out a test flight over the Humber when disaster struck and the airship broke in two.