In 1919 the R34 Airship took off from East Fortune in Scotland in an attempt to be the first aircraft to make the double crossing of the Atlantic to the USA and back. This they achieved but, for not completely explicable reasons, they did not return (as planned) to East Fortune but landed at Pulham near Diss. At the time, the celebration of this remarkable feat didn’t in any way reflect the enormity of the achievement.

Basil Abbott, Diss Museum Manager, is planning a centenary celebration in 2019, and has invited the Diss Guild to create craft items that can be exhibited as part of this celebration. His talk and slide show provided background information and inspiration for the creation of these items. It is impossible not to be enthused by Basil’s projects, and Diss Guild have risen to the challenge!