Vedrin, Jules

Early years

Jules spent his childhood in the working suburbs of Paris at the address: Saint-Denis, No. 71, Avenue de Paris. There he developed his firm and stubborn character, making the aviator a favorite of the public. No wonder he received the nicknames “Exalted Gavrosh” and “The Insolent Parisian”. His father Francois worked as a roofer, his mother Irma Victoire Tricot was a laundress. The family had eight children, they lived extremely poorly. Three sons became aviators, all died early in fatal April: Emil in April 1914; Jules - April 21, 1919; Fernand - April 18, 1928 ^[1] .

Jules always believed in himself, possessed an almost supernatural will and "bird instinct." For three years he studied at the School of Arts and Crafts ( fr. École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers ) Lille .

After graduation, he worked as a draftsman in the workshops of Persan-Beaumont in Paris, then as a motor adjuster and turner-mechanic in Nogent-sur-Marne , and later with Shetan in La Malturn.

His passion for aviation, which became a vocation, erupted in 1908 when he learned about the achievements of Henri Farman . Having proved himself well, he went to England for six months as a mechanic to the British actor and pilot Robert Lorraine.

Upon his return, he enrolled as a student at the flight school of Louis Bleriot in Pau . Vedrin paid for the training, selling all his property. The young wife, little daughter and father-in-law had to settle in a wooden hut in Agnere . After four classes, the money ran out, but Jules proved to be a very capable student and was able to pass the exam, causing Bleriot to be amazed. On December 7, 1910, Vedrin received the official pilot certificate of the “Breve” of the French Aero Club No. 312.

Record Time

Since that time, Vedrin began to actively participate in aviation competitions and set records.

The Russian Word April 26 (13), 1911 Span of Vedrina

Paris, 12 (25), IV. Aviator Vedrin made a brilliant flight from Paris to Pau for the prize of the aeronautical club, at a distance of 355 kilometers in a straight line. In some places, Vedrin flew at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour.

The first Paris – Madrid flight took place on May 21–22, 1911, in which Jules Vedrin became the winner and the only one to finish. He managed to complete this difficult route on the Moran in twenty-seven hours. He flew over the Pyrenees, overcoming the swirling gusts of wind.

In June 1911 he participated in the race: Paris-Liege-Spa-Liege-Utrecht-Brussels-Roubaud-Calais-London-Dover-Calais-Paris.

In March 1912, Vedrin attempted to run for deputy. He began the election campaign by dropping leaflets from an airplane, but did not get the required number of votes. Without much regret, Vedrin continued his career as a pilot.

On March 31, 1912, in Saint-Etienne, Vedrin shared with his audience his ardent passion “to swim in the blue of heaven”:

"A person has enough will and energy to change his fate."

On April 29, 1912, the plane of Jules Vedrina crashed near the Nord-Epine-sur-Seine railway, catching on telegraph wires. His death was already announced in an information message, national flags with a mourning crepe and a place in the Saint-Martin cemetery were prepared. But, thanks to the skill of a doctor, the aviator survived.

In the autumn of 1912, during one of the demonstration flights, Vedrin raised a twelve-year-old boy, the future famous writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupery , to the sky at the airfield in Aberye , involuntarily determining his fate ^{[2] [3]} .

On September 9, 1912, at the Gordon-Bennett Aviation Cup in Chicago, Vedrin set a world speed record on his Deperdussen Monocoque “ La Vache” (“Cow”) airplane, reaching 167.8 km / h.

Then he broke new speed records: 170.777 kilometers per hour, then - 174, later - 197 kilometers per hour.

In 1913, the French flying club and the newspaper Le Matin organized the Paris – Cairo flight. 4 aviators on three planes took part in the competition. Jules Vedrin, on his Bleriot XI monoplane with the Gnome engine, started on November 20 in Nancy and, having covered a total of more than 5,600 kilometers, completed the race on December 29 in Cairo. He became the winner and won the main prize.

The Russian press enthusiastically, but not always, wrote about this flight.

Sparks Magazine No. 48, Sunday, December 8, 1913

 

Aviator Vedrin. Sparks Magazine, 1913

Around the world. The famous aviator Vedrin accidentally began the first round-the-world flight on an airplane. At first he just wanted to take a walk in Eastern France and Germany, but in Nancy, where he went down to get gas, he was informed that in Germany it is forbidden to fly over the border. Then, in spite of the Germans, he decided to fly directly to Belgrade. However, the dense fogs made him fall first in Prague and then in Vienna . From Belgrade, Vedrin flew through Sofia to Constantinople.

Its further route is Baghdad - Bombay - Calcutta - Sydney - Melbourne. From there, he will go to America by boat. Thus, out of a small whim, out of a desire to laugh at the German ban, a grandiose event arose - the first flight around the globe.

Early Morning, January 10 (December 28), 1914

(20) On November 7, Vedrin began his truly world-wide flight from Nancy. Heading through Vienna, Belgrade, Sofia and Constantinople, Vedrin soon reached places whose population had never seen an airplane. From Jaffa, he flew to Egypt and safely reached Heliopolis in the vicinity of Cairo. But the tireless and brave Frenchman was not satisfied with this: he takes a flight to about. Ceylon hoping to reach through the Malay archipelago of Australia.

In early 1914, Vedrin met in Paris the famous Russian aviator Khariton Slavorossov . Jules and Roland Garros helped Slavorossov get a "touring pilot" in the company Codron and Moran-Solntse . Vedrin highly appreciated the skill and courage of the Russian pilot, both of them were artistic natures and became friends ^[4] .

World War I

During World War I, Vedrin entered military aviation. On August 28, 1914, he was assigned to the DO 22 squadron, just created (in June 1914), armed with armored Dorani (Do.1). But Vedrin is fighting on his unique “anti-Zeppelin” Blerio airplane.

On September 2, 1914, Vedrin, with his mechanic and part-time gunner Rene Vicker, shot down a German plane over the Suipp area. But the French command refused to recognize this first victory of the aviators, completely attributing it to the anti-aircraft fire of the infantry. This decision can be explained by the fact that Vedrin has developed extremely tense relations with the squadron commander, Captain Paul Lecler. Even before the war, Vedrin had time to quarrel so seriously with many aviation officers that they barely tolerated him. Soon he was transferred to another unit.

From March 12, 1915, Jules Vedrin - in the squadron MS 3 (from September 20, 1915 - N 3) Felix Brokar. ^{[5] [6]}

A man quite civilian, Vedrin was unusually fearless. He was instructed to carry out special tasks. The tasks were difficult and deadly: to deliver scouts and saboteurs to the deep German rear, and then return them back at the appointed time. Difficulties were associated with the flight of the front line and landing in an uninhabited place, since an inevitable execution on the spot would have been waiting for the capture of the pilot. Vedrin was the first to venture on such a task. He and his passenger were in civilian clothes, without documents, in order to avoid execution in case of capture. Jules Vedrin completed seven of these special tasks. In three cases, they had to find scouts in the enemy rear and return to France. His "Moran" became legendary at the front. The Germans appointed a large reward for Vedrin’s head, but they never managed to catch him ^[7] .

Vedrin talked about these flights:

“In order to successfully complete a special task, one must first silence the self-preservation instinct. I set off with a light heart, thinking about my children. This is my defense. I was thinking about the poor passenger I was taking. With admiration for him, my consciousness of real danger was weakening ... Crossing the border line, I tried to confuse enemy observation and arranged myself to make a landing behind some grove where my plane could not be seen. And my passenger there was more likely to hastily escape ... I had the opportunity to fulfill a special task with Ginemer , who was then my student, and with Navarre , who was already the great Navarre ... In 1917, I invited the General Staff to go to bombard Berlin ... I had to fly to French biplane Breguet. He trained in flights day and night, learned German if he had to sit there. I even grew a beard to become unrecognizable.

He was going to fly from Bourges to Dunkirk, from where he would have risen completely. Nothing interfered with the success of my enterprise, when suddenly an order came with a ban on bombing Berlin. Frightened by retaliation. However, a few weeks later the German Gotta aircraft chose Paris as their target ” ^[4] .

The squadron of "Storks" glorified itself all over the world with a whole constellation of magnificent aces: Brokar, Vedrin, Garros , Ginemer, Gerto, Dorm, Dellan. Russian pilots fought next to them: E. N. Kruten , I. A. Orlov , V. G. Fedorov.

[From the track record of Jules Vedrin in the squadron MS 3 ("Storks"):

“A smart and courageous pilot, scored 100 flight hours from the start of the campaign. Always voluntarily participated in the most dangerous operations. Successfully completed risky and difficult missions. Since joining the squadron, it has constantly been called on to carry out the most dangerous flights. In May and June 1915, he brilliantly completed five special tasks, especially dangerous and difficult ones. He distinguished himself, in particular, in operations from June 5 to June 15, 1915 ” ^[5] .

In 1919, Vedrin was demobilized.

On January 19, 1919, Vedrin performed an incredible stunt for the first time in aviation history. Despite the ban of the prefecture of Paris, he landed his Codron aircraft on the roof of the largest Lafayette Gallery store. This was done as a promotion (prize of 25,000 francs). Assistants standing on the roof had to grab the wings of the airplane and prevent it from falling onto the spectators crowding in the Opera Square. They succeeded, but only due to the fact that they deployed the airplane and sent it directly to the brick superstructure, which housed the elevator mechanism. The airplane crashed, but the pilot got out of the wreckage intact ^{[8] [3]} . The whole world was amazed by the courage and virtuosity of an air intruder.

Jules Vedrin paid tribute to the cinema and took part in the filming of several films, in one together with the famous film actor Max Linder .

Weekly, from 1910 to 1914, published materials signed (126 chapters in total), later collected in the book Jules Vedrin. The life of a pilot. About himself ”(“ La Vie d'un Aviateur ”) ^[9] .

Last Flight

At 10.30 a.m. on April 21, 1919 (according to Act No. 15), Jules Vedrin died near the municipality of Saint-Ramber-d'Albon together with his mechanic, making a postal flight on a twin-engine Codron C-23 aircraft on the route Paris - Rome - Constantinople. The aircraft engine failed, and a disaster occurred during an emergency landing.

The famous aviator was buried with great honors in the Paris cemetery of Pantin in a family grave. All three Vedrin brothers are lying there.

• Wife - Melanie Amelie Noemi Lejeune
• Daughter - Zhanna Vedrin (Ballet), teacher
• Son - Henri Vedrin (1911-1995), French politician. Before the war - Secretary General of VKT (metallurgy). During the Second World War he was captured. In a concentration camp he organized a resistance group from among active Communists. After his release, he became a deputy from the Communist Party in the department of Allier , from 1945 to 1958 , then from 1968 to 1973 .
• Daughter - Suzanne Vedrin
• Son - Emil Vedrin

• A commemorative granite stele was erected in the commune of Büyer-Dunoise in honor of Jules Vedrin, who landed there on April 2, 1911 during the Paris- Pau flight due to fog and because of a desire to see his family. His wife was from there and rested there with her daughter.

The stela was created on March 20, 1990 based on a sketch by Andre Fremont (Frémont). It represents the wing of the Moran. It was opened on October 31, 1991 in the presence of the mayor, municipal councilors, public figures, the press, as well as the daughter of the aviator Jeanne Ballet (nee Vedrin), her daughter and granddaughter.

• In 1921, a memorial obelisk was erected on the terrace of the Gallery Lafayette store in honor of Jules Vedrin, who made his first landing on the roof of the building.
• At the site of the death of Jules Vedrin, in Saint-Rambert d'Albon ( Drome ), a memorial stone is installed.
• On April 9, 2011, the name of Jules Vedrina was assigned to the traffic intersection of Salvaza Airport in Carcassonne .
• In May 2011, in the city of Quintanapaglia (Spain), a bust of Jules Vedrin was installed at the place of his landing due to a malfunction during the Paris-Madrid flight in 1911.

• Squadron MS 3 . From the history. (fr.)
• Squadron DO 22 . From the history. (fr.)
• Drama in two parts.

• Belyakov, A.I. Air Travel . - SPb. : Polytechnic, 1993. Archived March 14, 2016 to Wayback Machine . ISBN is missing.
• Halperin, Yu.M. Verdun Air Cossack. - M .: Young Guard, 1981. .ISBN is absent.
• Halperin, Yu. M. Verdun Air Cossack . - M .: Young Guard, 1990 .-- 332 p. - ISBN 5-235-00997-5 . Archived May 5, 2015 on Wayback Machine
• Halperin, Yu. M. "Marked by fiery passion ..." . - "Around the World" No. 3, 1977.
• Markusha, A.M. I am a pilot . - Vologda: Red North, 2000. Archived May 28, 2015 on Wayback Machine . ISBN is missing.
• Markusha A.M. Collected Works. In 3 volumes. T. 3: Migratory birds. Aircraft of our fate. I will die a lieutenant. The last parade. By screws! Testament of a sad clown .. - M. , 2002. - 607 p. - ISBN 5-901808-04-5 .
• Mizho Marseille. Saint-Exupery . - M .: Young Guard, 1963. - (ZhZL). . ISBN is missing.
• Rokhmistrov V. G. Aviation of the great war . - M .: ACT: VZOI, 2004. - ISBN 5-17-015605-7 . Archived May 18, 2015 on Wayback Machine
• Antoine de Saint Exupery . Little Prince. - M .: Children's literature, 1967 .. ISBN is missing. Translation by Nora Gal.
• Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Author's collection. - M .: Fiction, 1983. .ISBN is absent. Introductory article by Mark Gallay.
• Jules Vedrines. La Vie d'un Aviateur. - Batzendorf, France, 2002 .-- 586 p. - (L'officine Biographie). - ISBN 2-914614-20-9 . (fr.)
• Le Magazine du Carcassonnais et de l'Ouest Audois, numéro 23. Charles Toussaint Védrines, dit Jules . Archived April 28, 2016 on the Wayback Machine (fr.)
• Janine Tissot. Charles Toussaint VEDRINES dit Jules VEDRINES . (fr.)

• 1910 - In the air ( Fr. Dans les airs ).
• 1912 - Abduction on a seaplane ( fr. Un enlèvement en hydroaéroplane ).
• 1913 - Betrothed to the Air ( French: Les fiancés de l'air ).
• 1916 - Max in the air ( Fr. Max dans les airs )