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Bottle, from airship R 34

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Bottle, from airship R 34
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This bottle of brandy was part of the medical supplies carried on the airship R 34 when it completed the first-ever double Atlantic crossing by air. Manned by an RAF crew, the R 34 flew from East Fortune in East Lothian to Long Island in New York and then back again in July 1919. The brandy was the only alcoholic beverage carried aboard the R 34 and was kept under lock and key by the airship's medical officer. The crew were forbidden to consume alcohol during the flight - the tradition of the 'tote' of rum was not continued when the Airship Service of the Royal Navy Air Service was handed to the Royal Air Force on its formation on 1 April 1918.

The bottle is in good condition. The brandy shows small amounts of sediment. The cork is deteriorating but the bottle is sealed by a lead cap. The rear label describes the historic nature of the bottle and the flight of the R 43.

The R 34's considerable achievement in completing the first-ever double Atlantic crossing by air did not receive much publicity at the time: it was overshadowed by the first non-stop Atlantic flight in June 1919 by Alcock and Brown, who flew a converted Vickers 'Vimy' bomber from Newfoundland to Ireland.

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