JOHN VERREPT 1889-1912

John Verrept - 1912 De Belgische vliegenier Verrept, die in het vliegkamp te Chateaufort, na een twist met zijngeliefde, met zijn eidekker omhoog steeg en, door zich van een aanzienlijke hoogte naar beneden te laten storten, zelfmoord pleegde.. The Belgian flier Verrept who at the flying field of Chateaufort, after a fight with his Lover/fiancee/girlfriend, climbed high with his monoplane and fell from a considerable height, committing suicide. from "Het Ideaa" Courtesy of Jean-Pierre Lauwers, 8-20-07 Translation courtesy of David Lam

 

Monoplane Collapses; Airman Meets Death, John Verrept, Belgian Aviator, May Have Committed Suicide, Daily Journal andTribune, Knoxville, Tennessee, April 18, 1912, Transcribed by Bob Davis - 8-20-05 Versailles, France, April 17. - John Verrept, the Belgian airman, was killed today while making a flight at the aerodrome here. His monoplane collapsed at a height of 600 feet, and he was killed instantly. Friends of Vorrept express the opinion the aviator committed suicide. He had yesterday, they say, a dispute with his fiancee, to whom he swore he would kill himself. Observers of his flight say they saw Verrept throw his arms up, and the aeroplane, left to itself, crashed to the ground. The machine was found in perfect working order. Verrept was 23 years of age.

 

John Verrept - 1911 from Een eeuw in beeld 1909 - 1911

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "John Verrept", using the Google search engine, (8-21-05), you will find about 10 of 37 links. The relevant ones are in Dutch. A truly remarkable one is the following.

 

Een eeuw in beeld 1909 - 1911 A Century in Pictures 1909 - 1911      This is quite a remarkable online resource. Among the several hundred photographs, I found two of John Verrept. The one which heads this page was extracted from one on the site. The original is seen just below, as well as a second one which is also found on the site.      If time permits, and especially if you read Dutch, you will find photographs of several other pioneer aviators on the site. You can access it by clicking on the title above.

Lierenaar en luchtvaartpionier John Verrept op de vliegmeeting van 30 en 31 juli 1911. Minder dan een jaar later stort hij neer nabij Versailles. Verrept is dan net 25. Foto Stadsarchief Lier. "Resident of Lier (a town in Belgium) and aviation pioneer John Verrept at the aviation meeting of 30 and 31 July 1911. Less than a year later he died near Versailles. Verrept was then just 25. Foto from City Archives of Lier." Translation courtesy of Dave Lam from Een eeuw in beeld 1909 - 1911

 

Lierenaar en luchtvaartpionier John Verrept op de vliegmeeting van 30 en 31 juli 1911. Minder dan een jaar later stort hij neer nabij Versailles. Verrept is dan net 25. Foto Stadsarchief Lier. "Resident of Lier (a town in Belgium) and aviation pioneer John Verrept at the aviation meeting of 30 and 31 July 1911. Less than a year later he died near Versailles. Verrept was then just 25. Foto from City Archives of Lier." Translation courtesy of Dave Lam from Een eeuw in beeld 1909 - 1911

 

John Verrept crashed and died on April 17, 1912 Email from Bob Davis, 8-20-05   Editor's Note: If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper

 

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