Two Well Known Residents Died Instantly
Sunday, June 17, 1928
George “Chappy” Lennox, was a 24 year old licensed aviator with a recently purchased American Eagle type plane. “Chappy” and the plane were set to fly and provide passenger rides over the Hudson/Nashua area.
Kathryn Thomas was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Thomas of Nashua. He was a prominent official with the Boston and Maine Railroad. Present with her at the airfield were a brother and her fiancé Dr. Linwood Farrington of Lowell.
Marcel Theriault was native to New Brunswick, Canada and moved to Nashua at a young age. After graduating law at Boston University he purchased Riverside Farm (later Hayward Farm). Present with him at the airfield was his youngest son, Albert age 15.
At a height of 50-100 feet the pilot saw flames in the cockpit and quickly and intentionally banked the plane in an attempt to bring it down in adjacent ploughed ground. The plane struck the ground head on. The pilot leapt from the plane and then returned to it in an attempt to help the passengers. The flames drove him away and he rolled to the ground to smother the fire which had ignited his clothing. “Chappy” was taken to the hospital in Nashua in a nearby auto. He remained hospitalized in critical condition for some time.
Death to the passengers came in an instant. The plane was immediately engulfed in flames when gasoline from the tank ignited and consumed the plane down to its steel framework. This accident and death of two well known Nashua residents shocked both communities.
Shown in Photo: James A. Sherlock, Harry J. Connell, and Fred Mears. Photo from the Hudson Historical Society Collection. Find more Hudson History at https://rememberhudsonnhwhen.com/!