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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 2090.PDF
JULY 30, 1936. FLIGHT. 129 Some personalities : Above, on the left, are Mme. P. du Jardin and M. Edmond Leon, who came in the original Moth Major. Top right, is a Caudron Simoun party ; from left to right these are Mme. Meny, M. and Mme. Eugene Wattinne and M. Vanlaere Eelow (left), Mrs. Nigel Norman, who appeared to be a very efficient and cheery " O.C. everything " at Heston and elsewhere, is telling Mile. Viviane Elder that her quarantined fox cub will be well looked after by the Customs, who are used to housing such pets. On the right is Miss Bessie Owen, a visitor from the U.S. (not direct by air), in the cabin of her Waco. enough at the present rate of retrogression in Western civilisa tion. So to tea, for some of us, at Sidney Sussex College, back to the aerodrome and to London, dodging rainstorms on the way, where a reception had been arranged at Londonderry House. The affair, though theoretically formal, was actually very cheery, and Lord Londonderry, as the enthusiastic owner of a Hornet Moth, was on congenial ground with his private - OWner guests. By Iriday morning practically all the expected visitors had arrived and one or two, including M. and Mme. Guy Hansez, WOK actually picked up at Heston by the coaches on their way to (.reat Fosters and Eton. The organisers could not have picked a better spot than the former to show the best and 'east recognisable of those typically English institutions— road houses. Great Fosters is an Elizabethan mansion and the Queen herself stayed there—though there was no warmed swimming pool then, nor had Dry Martinis been invented. AiKr lunch the coaches moved on to Eton, vfci Windsor, vvbilt vye endeavoured to explain in imperfect French that king Kdward had his own machine and his own landing pound at Sunningdale. Eton, of course, caused interest ot jhe gayest and gravest kind. Sheer antiquity, unaltered radii ions, famous names carved by the thousand (at ios. " t,ni' ), a mildly ecclesiastical atmosphere produced gravity, nut the astounding variations in official costume effected by ' boys produced some minor gaiety—though none of the sat s were so ill-mannered as to show it. Almost without whi-'l'""h' *he Frencn contingent demanded to see the place the battle of Waterloo was won, and one or two asked to have the famous Wall Game explained to them. Most were bemused by the Upper and Lower School explanations, stag gered by the much-carved fifteenth-century desks where work is still carried out, and entranced by the sight of one boy wearing an open cricket shirt, the standard black overcoat, a furry topper, and reading the evening paper with an appear ance of complete boredom. The Banquet And so, on Saturday evening, to the official banquet at Grosvenor House. Sir Philip Sassoon, proposing " The Guests," said: " The Entente Cordiale had its origin as the name given to an understanding between France and Great Britain, which proved that friendship was stronger than treaties. The expression has now, I rejoice to think, a wider meaning^ It stands to-day for good feeling and understanding between the people of all nations who see in the coming of flying an opportunity for closer and more friendly intercourse between those whom in past generations, time and distance separated." This sentence sums up neatly the spirit which per meated the week-end. Sir Philip added that the affair was of more than national significance; it was an occasion when those who came together were, for the time being at least, not French, German, Austrian, Dutch, Swiss, Spanish, English, or any other nationality, but just brethren of the air. Replies to Sir Philip's speech of welcome were made by Prince Bibesco (Rumania) in French, M. J. Meny (France) in English, Herr F. Florian (Germany) in German, General Baron Wahis (Belgium) in French, Mijnheer C. Kolff (Hol land) in English, His Excellency the Austrian Minister, ia
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