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PART THREE
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, APRIL 1960
AT 60, SHE WAS A TRAIL-BLAZER
Did the duchess fly
THE old, heat Duke of Bedford huddled irritably in his room listening
to the gucient wireless that rattled and whined in the corner.
He hated the radio. Just as he hated telephones and motor cars and aeroplanes. But this savage night-March 22, 1937-he had to listen. Suddenly the announcer spoke.
With just the right tinge of concern and the right note of Importance in bis volco he gold....
"Some anxiety is felt for the Duchess of Bedford, who left Woburn at 3,30 this afterTIDON for a short solo $ight, Neither she nor her machine has been heard of since. She was dying in the direction of Cambridge, Royston, Buntingford, Hitchin, and may have flown over Fen district.
The Chief Constable Bedfordshire
police asks authorities in the counties con- cerned to send out patrol care,"
NEVER BEFORE
the
رم
by
ROBERT
GLENTON
The duchess was sharing the
cabin with a 300-gallon tank of petrol. With an expressionless face she folded her hands in her lap and waited.
With Its enormous load, the plane wallowed across the field
one was sure whether it would got off the ground. Barnard made it with so Httle to spare that the undercarriage telegraph ripped through the wires at the edge of the deld.
Until the was 61 the duchess had never been in an aircraft and she might never have been
With the wires still hanging In one at all had it not been
The wheels the Princes for the meanness
her from of
the Xenia disappeared into husband.
Channel mists.
the
Her great consuming interest
The flight came to nothing. had beca the private hospital
The Princess Xenin was stuck she had established en Weburn Estate, First, wounded, for three weeks in the Persian
Guif with engine trouble.
two took
months to rench Karachi,
*soldiers of the 1914-18 war, and later the tenants and workers of the estate found themselves in the duchess's Arm but well-meaning hands.
of
The hospital gave a purpose to her life. But always there
the nagging worry was finding the money to keep going, for the duke did not share this enthusiasm,
And then the duko
It
A year later the duchess set o once more in an attempt to break the record to India and back. This time she made it.
The same aircraft was used but the Duchess had changed
15 nome to Spider.
his put foot down. The hospital
Wag
O PONT
costing too much money.
Baffled and in- dignant duchess round
the looked
an-
for other laterest. It arrived in an odd
way.
The duchess
was very deat
It made her an-
CONTIGAL
she and!
The day afterwards arrived with chauffeur Lotman in her ce at Lympne
She asked if everything Was ready, and then said, "I'm going of bird-watching." She spent the rest of the day at Dunge- ness.
It was a hazardous fight, and involved two crash landings on the outward fight.
Alf three were deathly tired when they took off on the ins: leg of their homeward journey from Solia to London, but they were right on schedule. When the plane landed at Croydon they had done the journey in 10 days, and the dignitaries climbed aboard to congratulate the duchess,
Almost immediately she asked Harnard to dy her down to landed Woburn. There, as she on the lawn, the villagers, ther chlidren, and bare-headed family servants were gathered to greet Woburn's Lamous deer her.
llamas, and thousands of rabbits had watched with interest, bui -as soon as they heard the air-
craft they fled.
The duchess stepped down on to the grass. She was helped aist of her leather jacket and tying helmet into a tweed coat and cloche hat and proceeded to hold
came a reception. Back the curious deer and the llamas
Daily Exp
TUERGIME WATCH
DUCHESS of BEDFORD MISSING ON FLIGHT Solo Over Fens A1 71 [Am]
EL FRANK
from the Daily Express. March 23. 1937
sociable and the perpetuai buzz- ing in her ears was a real un- happiness. Sameone told her that flying might help,
NOLL
resumed their grazing. The duchess's peke raced round in wild excitement,
10-
away to die?
UNIFINISHED JOURNEY.. Amy Johnson's plano after she crash-landed at
Chelsfield, Kant, on a flight from London to Paris.
He mapped out a triangular her
Tho date: October 20, 1936.
which is not in the
MARRIED-
EXCEPT IN NAME
Stockholm. should be
Wallowed to so on using their maidon namos after they marry..
And children should be ai lowed to take the name of their mother instead of that of their father,
There are the surprise_rezom- mendations 10 the Bwedah Government by an official com Inittee. +
Also in the committed's report in a plea that it should be made legally easier for.. Swedes to throw their family names over- board
aitogether and choose
new ones.
They share
Reason for those moves is the discovery
that one-third of Sweden's 7,000,000 population today share the same. · ́tour
surnames,
t
They are Andersson, Johans- son, Karlesen, and Nilsson-end In official records and day-to- day life that is causing a lot of confusion,
So much confusion, in fact, that the Government is being urgod to rule that no one in future should be allowed to use name endlag in "son" with- out official approval.
-London Express Servies).
Kenya's Arabs
turn on Nasser
ENGYPT'S
Nairobi.. Providone Nar-
they course for her, got the mechanic speech, and certainly her grim Ancient and Modern Hymnal. sar is no longer tho
The duchess put on her old leather jacket and took off. It was 3.30, and there was a threat of a mowstorm.
And
one by one the stoff bowed or curt-
Then sled. gether cheered,
to check that she had enough was the fuel for three and a half hours That
flying. last duchess's record flight, but micans by no her anal adver- was £9 she
the Blying along
1029 flight The
WILK not North African coast when her without Ite troubles.
The engine cut out. The aircraft fell from 8,000 ft, to 800 ft. before it when razed
she
As she opened a vacRum flask over burst into life again. Nuremberg and discovered was climbing some villainously that the waller, had filled the minded Arabs put two bullet holes through the wings of her hot soup flask with cold con-
Moth. Somme.
"Try, try again and all that, ture. sho explained
it
He
duchess
Whoever advised her, certainly wasn't the duke. detested modern contrivances. 1026, But one afternoon in when the duchess wua 61, thero
droning in peaceful rural air over Woburn and a tiny bi-plane circled the abbey.
Was a
the
FAMOUS PLANE
By now, the courage of this old woman had captured the inngination of the world,
When
she was
SO ANXIOUS
At about 4 pm the Moth was seen over Royston,
Then there was silence. For eight days 3,000 people scoured the Fens, the Yorkshire moors. Ships were warned and lifeboats put to sea,
A'large sheet was spread on the lawn where the duchess had
mind, but the duchess'a VCTEC, face never did betray a thought she wished conscaled,
One
The search went on,
the week Inter a green painted wing beach near Yarmouth, strut was washed up on
serial
Preston Inspected its newly broken tips and number... 41,772.
the
That seemed to check,
The he
Daw a small
blue
patch of paint on the strut. The ground engineer recognized it, He had put it on himself,
The duchess was dead. On May 10 the probate court granted leave to presume her
rumours started more then 1,000
so often landed so that the
cud, It was March 22, 1937, and searching airmen could drop any the 71-year-old duchess was message. On her triumphant up-to not feeling very well She had Round and round it
return went, schedule
journey the had one or two attacks of over the grounds where deer weary duchess was kept awake giddiness recently. grazed. Led the major by a band of welcome which
by
Nevertheless, she decided to demo the staff rushed to the taxisted on playing outside her hugo windows....and winged hotel windows ut Aleppo and go flying. In her log book were at the thought of what his Sofia. She stormily chased 198 hours and 5 minutes of solo away the musicians, but Aleppo nying. She said she was very make 11 into a also put on a late-night fire- anxious to There was almost as much works display in her honour, round 200. concern. In the low-lying GIDEY Moth
grace would say.
It effectively drowned the
She sent for Raphael Preston,
personal pilot,
In the back cockpit was the duchess's own reworks with whom she had appointed as her duchess, and every time the the management,
pilot tried to land the aircraft.
the duchess frantically wayed NOTABLE FEAT him back into the air. Conclud- ing that he had a bad case of panje on his hands the pilot made effort after effort to get down. Each ume the duchess got more excited.
The pilot took matters into his own hands. On the fourth attempt he landed.
On their return to Croydon there was a crowd of more than a thousand to meet them. after what was described as one of the most notable fents aviation.
of
Through the cabin windows the crowda could tee tho duchess. She was busy check- ing her luggage. Then there gleamed angrily out of her was a huge cheer as she came to
Ile turned to look at duchers. Her
the
eyes
the door. The duchess looked tough, leathery face: "You must be more careful.”"
black, abe
recognised her friend sbricked in that odd, high Miss Green holding up a polce, pitched voice, which was due and in her nutria-trimmed fly- to her deafness. "You willing heimet bent and kissed the
frighten all the animali.”
'The duchess had made her Arst, flight.
After that there was no hoki ing her. She appointers per- sonal pilot and went roaring across Europe. Sho even made a special trip to look down the inside of Vesuvius,
Two years later it was nounced that the duchess. Was to attempt a
record-breaking flight to India and back. She planned to get there in four days.
She had bought a famous old Fakker monoplane, the Prin cess Xenia, And at dawn on June 10. 1028, shining in blue and gold palat, it was wheeled out of the hangar at Lympne in Kent,
peke.
Captain
After the (light Barnard told the nation about the duchess's flying alllly, and made it clear, she was no longer a passenger.
"I have no hesitation in leaving her in complete con
fo," he said..
OFF AGAIN
►
The congratulations poured in from the King and Queen, the Government, and the Royal Auto Club.
Then the duchess shocked the country.
She went along to 200, the B.B.C. that was, and in unscripted broadcast to php nation suddenly shouted:
"Learn to fly, damn you.”
1
Lut
Her crew. Captain. Barnard and Flight Lieut. Allott were waiting when the 63-year-old I was the Arst time in its duchess strode into the airfield lie the British Broadcasting In het brown tweed riding authorities had ever beon babil, leather boots, and helmet. down... and by a duchessl
Her luggage
I 1930 the duchess was off, slowed Wor aboard... one suitcase, one in her aircraft again with Bar
sard and Allott.. this ilme to the Cape and back.
hai-box, a pith helmet, and an umbrella.
The day before she toole "off
Slowly she climbod into the cabin. There a gold-painted in the Spider she did her first basket chair awaited bor. Cap solo. For
A few minutes
tain Harper wrapped a rug dew alone around Woburn, about her legs, propped her
She wue 04.
SWISSAIR, with cushions to the same blue
as the strcraft, and climbed Into stle onúknit
sho
No, I was NQT nervous,” | the anorted,
Four D. Jones BY MADDOCKS-
EGAD
MATT
DILLON
It reads:
"Or if on joufül wing Cleaving the Sky,
Sun, moon and stars forgot, Upwards i f...
THE ONLY ONE Not far away in a corridor
Abbey hung in Woburn special armorial shield.
The duchess had born on daughter-in-law. archdeacon's She was the only duchess who did not bring a coat of arms to the duchy when she married,
pin-up boy of the Araby who live in Kenya's dis- puted 10-mile-deep constai strip.
Sules of his photograph to Ambs in the area have stump- ed; the Africans are buying them instead
an ominous The reason la change of lone in the broadcasts from Cairo radio and beamed to the Xenya coast.
'Expediency'
Once the broadcasts were full Now
So the duko prepared one for of "Arab brotherhood." her. One of the quarterings they are full of glowing refer- showed an airplane. But the ences to African nationalism
This makes the Arabs hopping At Woburn parish church College of Heralds turned it Then the
Arabe tenants down, "Airplanes are unknown mad in view of the current dis-
pute between the coast in heraldry," they said. First a story that the duchess attended a memorial service.
and the African nationalists
But had just flown abroad.
on the day that the over the future of the coastal The Marquis of Tavistock,
father
tenants of Woburn mourned the strip, his
the
One const Arthald: "It whose ill-health duke,
pre- woman who had so solicitously
that Nasser has representing vented his attendance, arrived cared for then and when the seems
rumours of sufelde were at their dropped our cause from political in moming suit and flat twood
strongest, that shield hung on expediency. That socond story has never cap,
The At the duke's request the the wall with those of every been proved or disproved. evidence points to the fact that hymn "Nearer my God to Thee" other duchess.
including the fifth she had no such intention in
Then, that she had deliberate ly flown out to sea to her death, The sad and lonely suicide of a stek and embittered woman.
was sung,
PAROON ME SIR, AWORD IN
YOUR EAR
A BRITISH DESTROYER 15 ANCHORED ON
THE FAR SIOS OF THE ISLAND, THEY NEED A WICKET-
KEEPER
EGAD THEN I'M THEIR MANZ
THE ENGUSHMAN MOUNTS HIS BICYCLE (BRITISH MADE)
WOULD YOU TELL THE COLONEL TO KEEP AN EVe ON THE BOMB?
FERDINAND
BRICK BRADFORD
BRICK, WHY
DO YOU SHUN ME 7 MOST MEN-- FIND ME VERY, ATTRACTIVE!
I'M THE BUY YOU'VE FORCSO INTO CHE OF YOUR PIRATICAL CAPERS,
I REMEMBER) BUT ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES
A VERY BULL
PAY!
SADIE!
-London Express Service).
IT WORKED UKE A CHARM THERE GORS
THE WATCHDOG
By Mik
now
Well, we shall go it alone if necessary to maintain our rights over the coastal strip."
-(London Express Service).
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