HAWKER’S RETURN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12699, 22 July 1919, Page 3

HAWKER’S RETURN.

AMAZING LONDON SCENES.

[From Ode Correspondent.]

LONDON, May 28. The arrival in London on Tuesday evening of the Australian aviator, Mr Hawker, and his companion in die transatlantic adventure, Commander Grieve, provided scenes that in real truth ‘‘ beggar description,” and maybe some iood for serious thought. These men were the heroes of a failure in a sporting adventure in which they certainly risked their lives, but in so doing took no greater risk really than thousands of aviators had already done, and considerably less risk than some millions of men had been doing every day for the period of the war without any hope of such rewards as Hawker and in's comrade were sure of did they but compass the feat upon which they had set their hearts—a name for all time, and fortune for this life. Yet in more than thirty years’ experience of crowds and public occasions nothing can I remember to equal the scenes enacted between King’s Cross Station and the Aero Chib premises. No ovation given to kings or naval and military commanders has ever produced such an indescribable excitement. The railway and police arrangements proved quite inadequate to cope with it. London literally took the reception into its own hands, and what occurred was an illustration of a people’s reception to a people’s hero, such as has no parallel in the history of London for the past half-century. It seemed that for the time being people had gone quite mad, and it is useless to attempt to describe the scene in any sort of order, for there was no order from start to finish. The aviators had a magnificent reception at every place where the train bearing them to London from the far north halted—Perth. Newcastle, Darlington, York and Grantham—hut it was left to _ London to lose all sense of proportion in hero-worship. . Hawker^and his gallant navigator armed at King’s Cross a few minutes after 7 p.m., but what really happened oo man can truthfully say. A few things stand out in recollection from a tempest of noise and movement. A big engine painted green drew np a long train of corridor carriages to the arrival platform, already filled to repletion with people invited to be there. Then something happened. Nobody knows what, and it doesn’t matter much, hut the tw'o. slight harriers drawn across the platform, intended to give the heroes of the day clear access to their waiting motor-car, disappeared, and tlio platform became a surging, seething mass of shouting, gesticulating humanity. The door ■ of the train’s leading coach opened, and a man stepped out into space. It was Hawker, and there was a furore of cheers. In a moment he was lost in the mass. "THE AUSSIES WILL HAVE HIM.” Here, perhaps, a little explanation is desirable, and a “Telegraph” writer gives one which seems to give a clue to the very sudden disappearance of “Jaw and order” and Hawker. He says:— Hawker is an Australian, and all his fellow countrymen are justly proud of him. This was to be an Australian “show.” The word had gone round among the Commonwealth troops, that there would be an assembly at Australia House- There they met in considerable numbers a bey it five o’clock, and before six they were well represented at King’s Cross, and lined up in the car-riage-way beside the arrival platform. The first stirring incident at the station was the welcome given to the Australian band, instrumentalists collected from everywhere, who came in a gaily b(.-nagged motor lorry. The Australians, too, bad another car——not the official one—which was suspiciously empty. _ The men formed up, a compact body, in front of it, some six abreast, making a team. Any w ho watched might have seen ropes extending from hand to hand. All the time the car reserved was in waiting at those futile harriers, containing bouquets of flowers for the daring aviators- The Australians had ideas of their own, and those who obtained the confidence of these strapping fellows learnt in a whispered undertone that “ the Aussies were going to have him ” I “ COLLARED AND CROWNED.” And that was exactly what happened. The moment the carriage door had opened, the Australians surged forward and collared their man.' There was an official reception party, arranged in formal manner by the Aero Club but it was hopelessly scattered. The Mayor of St Pancras had oome diown to give a civic greeting. What careful periods he may have prepared ouiv hjl ?|self knows, but certainly he had neither breath nor opportunity to delivoi thorn. On-$ saw tho Mayor his robes a splash of scarlet on a hea’ving sea of Australian khaki, bobbing up and twisting about here and there, until the turn oi a roof supporting pillar gave him temporary shelter and stillness. The gilt mace, till this moment held up before him by the mace-bearer above the people s heads, bobbed about and disappeared. The reception party, brasshatted generals and blue-clad officers of tne Air force, lost all cohesion before this triumphant Australian advance. Afterwards they were heard asking one another what each had seen and what had happened. Pandemonium reigned along the platform, the band struck up Australia will be there,’’ there were pieicing Coo-ee ” cries, cheers, motor horns blowing. Men climbed up on the roofs of the train coaches, waved and shouted thcrnsolves hoarse, out of the surge below a slightly built man was raised shoulder hggh. Hawker iv as recognised; then another resoundmg furore. A second man was elevated the same way. Grieve this was, and more oncers. The two figures swaved about, but any real movement seemed impossible in that press+i ceremon .V was duly performed, though not by any means as arranged. Ihe Australians had, determined td crown their heroes with Australian A couple of these were obtained, with the turned up byj n and feathers so familiar in our streets- Senator Pearce, Minister of Defence in the Austrahan Commonwealth, had come to ,Amg s Gross on purpose to perform this crowning rite. Some say he did it, and declare his services were dispensed with because he was lost in the crowd. Anyhow somebody dabbed the hats on der.Wlf S ° f a t 1? tw ? lllon borne shou- • *? thus hatted they were carried through the surging, yellum crow d right out of the terminus into the street-a slow and laborious processbv their triumphant countrymen. All official arrangements ” for the aviatrrazzled beyond repair, and there was nothing for it but to let m/Ea Hapo^v ir fn° UrS ll’ lateve . r if might be. appily, tor all the noise aipd crush there was „ f real lamkimsmand m serious accident occurred A w Jk by ambulance men and attended to. RESCUED BY MOUNTED POLICE I lost sight of the heroes for a time wm-s'ltill^n WGI T S'dopsed they , temg carried shoulder hieh by their khaki-clad kidnappers iK her was roaring with laughter but fi°° r Grieve looked really worried. 5 And well he might for there were nnpleasant possibilities attached to these +hf hj unconventional proceedings, and the xaowds outside the station premises were beginning to exhibit a “ Maffickdn£ t SPm V« Then the police toofa definite and firm stand. An order went forth and a posse of mounted men forced their way through the, densecrowd as only London mounted constabulary can, a solid phalanx of foot police quickly followed , and formed some sort of a cordon round the men.. There was a bit of a scrummage, and Hawker was “ rescued ” from his fellow countrymen. But having got the principal a fresh difficulty confronted them. How could they get

him to his car ? The procession, ■as marshalled by the - -Aero Club, was broken up. It would have been a difficult and perhaps-dangerous thing to attempt to get Hawker anywhere on toot. So the inspector mounted Hawker on one of the police horses, and With mounted constables surrounding him the most popular public hero recent years was borne in triumph thiough the streets. An attempt to get on at a fast pace on the part of tne mounted police was frustrated by a number of Australian soldiers who got in front of the horses—and set the pace, at a walk. So it was on horseback, like a king of olden times, that Mr Harry Hawker made his “ progress ” through a cheermg, laughing “ cooee-ing ” metropolis, in his right hand he carried a bunch of roses, and in his left the flag of the Commonwealth, but he had lost his digger s hat, and finished his journey bareheaded. Presently something like a procession was formed led by the Australian band, toilowing which came a company of Australian troops and a couple of motor-cars. The band struck up Australia Will Be There,’ 5 and varied with See the Conquering Hero Hornes as the march continued. Dense crowds had lined the Euston K-oad and all traffic was brought to a standstill. Omnibuses and motorcars were drawn up behind the spectators on foot and utilised for grandstands. AH the business houses were crowded with onlookers, and hundreds of flags were hung and waved from the windows. For some time the public appeared to be confused as to where Hawker was, so the uniformed men m front of him took up the cry in unison- “On the horse!” “ On the horse!” All along the Euston Road, Maiplehone Road, Park Crescent, i ortland Place, to Regent Street the cheering and tumult continued, and every window and balcony was packed with flag and handkerchief waving spectators. The Langham Hotel, the Queen s Hall, and. the steps of All Bou-s Church were black with spectators or all ages, ranks and stations. * the Aero Club, in New Burlington Street, Hawker was lifted from the horse and carried shoulder-high into the building. A few minutes later Grieve, m a, man-drawn lorry, also arrived, and he, too, was borne in triumph into the club. Even then the public was not satisfied. if n ‘Mtitude outside made persistent calls for cbe airmen, and eventually uhey had to appear on the balcony, where thej were, greeted by a roar of cheering such as London seldom hears Of course there were calls for a speech, and Hawker made one of some sort m which he described London’s elcoTn© as u the most magnificent thing I have ever seen.” ° A KINGLY WELCOME. On the morrow the aviators repaired at the King’s cpmmand to Buckingham Palace to receive his Majesty’s congratulations and to be “invested” the Cross of the Royal Air Force. There were thousands of people waiting m the vicinity of Buckingham Palace to give Hawker and his companion greetings, but by a simple process of camouflage the_ Australian escaped the attentions of his admirers on arrival at the Palace. He had attired himself in a frock peat and sported a silk , hat, and, sitting in a motor-car alongside the chauffeur, passed through the crowd unnoticed! Practically no one . spotted ” Hawker until he was safely inside the _Palace railings, and Commander Grieve also, in naval nniform, had nearly attained his objective ere the crowd became aware of his identity. The airmen were ■ conducted at once, to the King, who received them cordially, shaking hands heartily with them and congratulating them on their escape. - After asking many questions about their experiences his Majesty decorated each of them with the Cross of the R.A:F. This was the first time the insiguiahad been bestowed. There has been a number of awards of the Cross, and the names of recipients have been gazetted, but this was the first actual investiture. - Lho Queen was anxious to see the two heroes, and when they left the King they were conducted to her MaTesty who also congratulated them. Hie Prince of Wales joined the Queen in their reception, and talked for some time with the airmen concerning their At antic “ stunt.” •When they left the Palace they were lustily cheered by the crowd, which by this time was enormous. In spite of all efforts to frustrate them, the people broke through the police cordon, and for a lime“ held PtP i tlie viators’ car whilst they pfit the heroes through a series of promiscuous handshakingAn article published in the Melbourne “Age” recently regarding the alleged poisoning by Germans in America of canned foods intended for consumption in the British Empire attracted widespread attention in Australia, and from many quarters the Federal Government was urged to take steps to protect the Australian public against the possible danger. When the House of Representatives met- recently Mr Fowler (W.A.) referred to the article. In view of the possibility of poisoned foodstuffs being sent to Australia, he asked the Minister of Customs to have a stringent inquiry and reliable tests made, so that the public mind might he set at rest. Mr Anstey (V.) urged the appointment of “Government tasters.” (Laughter.) Mr Maloney (Y.) asked the Minister to appoint a scientific committee to watch over all imported foods coming into Australia- Would the Minister cable to America inquiring whether there was any truth in the statement? If it were found to he true, the Ministry should prohibit the importation of foodstuffs. The Minister of Customs promised that exhaustive inquiries would be made. If it were found that there was any reasonable ground for the allegation, steps would iimmiedintely he taken to prohibit the importation of goods from countries where adulteration was taking place.