"P.B.," M.P.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15669, 6 June 1916, Page 8

"P. 8.," M.P.

LIFE HISTORY OF PEMBERTON BILLING. ADVENTURES IX NATAL. (FISOM OCR OWV COIUtESPOS'DBNT.) LONDON, April 21. Mr Pemberton Billing, M.P., the airman, who carried East Herts by a substantial majority in the fac© of both political parties, is quite a young man, having been born in Bainpsiead in 1681. liis father, Charles Eardley Billing, was a stove manufacturer. He started life on his own account when lie was fourteen, and his adventures at the Cape are related by himself in "South Africa" of April Ist. "When I was fourteen years old," lie writes, "I ran away to sea in a windjammer. They tried to axe me, but 1 fought the mate and one of the crew, and the difference between the skipper and myself was left undecided, when I got a compound fracture of the leg, which laid me up for six weeks in a bunk, with oil-sheet splints t<» help the bone-setting. I was landed at Delagoa Bay, wearing a smile and a lump over the broken jointing. I 'limped about on crutches, through the sand-smothered streets, for a few days until I threw away the sticks, to stow myself away on a steamer. I worked as a cabinetmaker's assistant; I did odd jobs in any craftman's yard. I hustled and planned continuously. I've been conductor and driver on those old horsed tramcars in Durban. I've stoked and driven old Hunter's 'Mallet' engines. I've battled around old 'Tekwini' at every sort of job that a man might do. But the horizon above the Berea beckoned and beckoned till I foot-slogged myself over its crest as far as Pinetown, wheiioc I broke away, through St anger and Verulam to llorke's Drift. From the Drift I came round in a wide circle to Maritzburg, hobo-ing my way back to Durban." He took up any job that came to hand. Thus: ."I've battled in Natal, barefooted sometimes, and I've broken stones for the new prison at Ndumbeni (Undeed). I've tramped around on Kaffir tracks, and once I was lost for a couple of days in the bush of the Upper Tugela. When at length I found a kraal, the Zulus gave me condensed milk on yellow porridge—impupu—and I wish that I could rub some Whitehall noses in it." HIS ZULU NAME. The natives Mr Billing a new name. He tells: —"You know the Zulu habit of giving special names to every White? Well, my name was 'Taumatish,' which means the little-hawk-which-is-always-hunting-trouble. I £ot it through fighting and outing a big buck nigger. I used to be in the boxin gring in Maritzburg." When the Boer War broke out Mr Billing was with the Natal Mounted Police. He was galloper and despatch rider on Penn-Symons staff, and ho helped to lead General Yule's brigade jto Ladysmitli. Later he was despatch rider to General Buller, and saw young Roberts wounded. Finally he saw hot work at Spion Kop, "where I sent after a few squadrons of the 8.M.1., who had to be brought back from some M.I. enterprise. I was mentioned Three times in despatches before the Relief of Lady smith, and my greatest pride is connected with the occasion when sis of us were sent out separatelv with a message at midtncht from Buller to the O.C. troops holding the ridge bevend Pieter's Hill, the night after the battle. I was the only one of those six to reach his objective." A JOURNALIST. Mr Pemberton Billing then took to journalism, and edited several newspapers in South Africa; one was devoted to motoring, and he claims to hold the first certificate issued in South Africa to a driver of a public car. After this h e took to the stage, and toured the Cape with < several companics. It was not until 19Q3 that he returned to ; England. .He lived near East Grinstead for a time. H)e married the daughter of Mr T, Schwitzer. He became an ardent flyer, starting the "Aerocraft" in 1909, and taking out many patents for various inventions connected with aircraft, flying boats, motors, and gramophones. "P. 8." LTD. Perhaps his greatest enterprise was the flotation of himself as a private company—Pemberton Billing, Ltd , on June 27th, 1914. The objects of the company were to acquire the business of manufacturing seaplanes, and other aircraft carried on by Billing at Southampton with all his real and personal property and assets. The nominal -capital of the company was, £20,000. Billing was allotted 7000 shares for the goodwill of the business and a Rollsltoy co limousine car, valued at £500. The first shareholders were: —Pemberton Billing, 6500 preference shares and 300 founders' shares; Alfred de Broughton 3500 preference shares and 200 founders' shares; Lorenz Hans Herkomer, 500 ordinary shares. De Broughton paid cash for his preference shares. a nd Billing seems to have transferred -the 500 ordinary shares to Lorenz Hans Herkomer, who was the aero mechanic in charge of the factorv. , In November, 1914, the company's solicitors had to tell the registrar of public comnanies that "it was impossible to get on at all, consequent upon the war, and the inability to obtain funds to pay any fees whatever. A new agreement was entered into on November 18th. under which Mr De Broughton found more money, and atrreed to pay all debts due by Mr Billing. Later h e took un the manufacture of seaplanes at Southampton, and developed a scheme to provide seaplane passenger service between , Southampton and the Isle of Wight. |