Vincent Crane Richmond

In 1915 he joined the Royal Naval Air Service and until the end of the War was principally engaged on the construction of non-rigid airships where he worked on developing envelopes for non-rigid airships, inventing a technique for doping linen before stretching it over the airframe,[1] earning him the nickname "Dope".

In 1920 he went to Germany with the Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control and during part of the time was in charge of the Naval Sub-Commission for the surrender of airships and seaplanes.

[2] National feeling surrounding the disaster was huge; the funeral procession through London was watched by thousands.

The bodies were then taken by special train to Bedford to be laid to rest in a communal grave in Cardington cemetery.

Richmond's diaries, kept during the trials of the R101, were substantially quoted in the report of the inquiry into the accident and noted a number of concerns regarding the condition of the gasbags.