Grief

COMMONWEALTH (British Commonwealth of Nations)

Secretary for Air Sir Samuel Hoare beamed over crystal and fine napery in London last week. Rising, he cast an eye about the Air Council assembled at luncheon to honor Alan Cobham, holder of the 28,000-mile world's record for long distance point-to-point-and-return flights--England to Australia and return. Clearing his throat, Sir Samuel Hoare announced that it had pleased His Brittanic Majesty to appoint Airman Cobham a Knight Commander, Order of the British Empire.

Rising to a toast, Sir Alan Cobham said: "A man is never too old to fly. I will never give up flying until I am too old to crawl into my machine."

True to his word, Sir Alan set out by air next day for Manchester. There the Lord Mayor and Corporation waited to banquet him anew. Hours passed. He did not arrive. Alarm mounted.

Meanwhile Sir Alan Cobham had been forced by a faulty spark plug to volplane to earth near Nuneaton. Deftly he skimmed beneath a high tension line carrying 6,000 volts. Then he discovered that he had no wrench with which to repair his motor. Vexed, he walked three miles until he found an autoist who loaned him a suitable wrench. His plane repaired, he sped to Manchester and civic glory. Meanwhile a Manchester crowd, informed by telephone of the contretemps, burst into incredulous laughter, refused for some minutes to believe that the great hero-airman of Britain could have come to grief.

The Hon. Sir Bijay Chand, Maharajadhiraja of Burdwan commented to the press later in the week:

"I was greatly surprised that amid all the congratulatory speeches made in honor of Cobham's wonderful achievement, not one word was uttered expressing thanks to God for His share in enabling so wonderful a performance. There was not one representative of the Church present, nor anything to denote that the British public or authorities recognize that without God's help every human endeavor would always come to nought."