Front page of "Sunday Pictorial" entitled "R101 funeral memorial number", 12 October 1930

The R101 crash was a disaster that caused shock around the world. Many newspapers covered the mass funeral for the victims. The Sunday Pictorial (later to become The Sunday Mirror) produced a ‘R101 Funeral Memorial Number’.

The bodies of the crew and passengers were brought back to England via special trains and on the 10 October, seen as pioneers of exploration, were given full state honours and carried in state from Victoria Station to Westminster Hall where they were placed in the Palace of Westminster. 48 coffins, each draped with a Union Jack. Thousands of people lined up and filed past to pay their respects, at one time the queue stretched some two miles. A double decker bus brought the bereaved families from Cardington, Bedfordshire (where the R101 was built and launched from) to the Memorial Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This service was attended by the Prime Minister and HRH The Prince of Wales. The following day the coffins were carried in State through the silent streets of London to Euston and there onwards to Bedford. The 48 coffins were placed in a mass grave at the parish church of St. Mary, Cardington. The Royal Air Force ensign flown from the tail of the R101 is still viewable in the church today.