JIMMY MELROSE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20456, 8 November 1934, Page 10

JIMMY MELROSE.

Melbourne’s Hero Greeted by His Mother. EXPECTED HIM ON OCTOBER 31. His mother rubbed his chest because he had a slight cold, tucked him into bed, and then went down to dinner. This was the end of a triumphant day for the idol of all Melbourne, young Jimmy Melrose, who finished seventh in the air race, and who landed at 9 o’clock on Wednesday of last week at Laverton. His mother was there to meet him, but only just in time. It is evident that the Melroses take life and its tremendous excitements rather calmly, for at ten minutes to eight Mrs Melrose was still in bed at her hotel. Then the telephone rang, and the message came through: “ Expected to land at 9 o’clock. “ I sprang out of bed and dressed in less than ten minutes, and simply flew out by, car to Laverton to see Jimmy land,” said Mrs Melrose that night in Menzies’ Hotel. An Only Child. Tired after her exciting day, and more tired still because of the long anxious wait she had had, Mrs Melrose could still deprecate the part she had played in her son’s epic flight. Nevertheless, he is her only child, and since her husband’s death 12 years ago, her sole interest in life. But because he was keen on flying, and because he has chosen it as his career, his mother did nothing to stop him: she even helped him to realise his ambition. She confessed that the first months of anxiety when he was learning to fly were even worse than the anxiety of the air race. “ You see,” she said, “ Jimmy is such a good organiser, and does everything so methodically, that I knew he would not fail. Besides, he gave me a map which I have in my bedroom at home on which he marked the places he would stop at each day and the dates, and at the Melbourne end was marked October 31. So I knew exactly when to expect him. And he was here on time.” Clothing Problems. Mrs Melrose came across from her home in Gienelg, South Australia, to await her son’s arrival with the patience that has become second nature to her, and she has had her reward. Because she is a true mother she brought him a supply of underclothing with her, and she was very surprised when he arrived scantily clad in a silk shirt and cream flannel trousers. “ He went away in a new suit, and I expected him to come back in it,” she said, “ but just before he left England they stopped him from bringing it. But I had his shirt and trousers cleaned before he went to the luncheon today. I told the laundry I must have them back within an hour, and they did them for me.” The Puss Moth is named Hildegaarde because Mrs Melrose's name is Hilda, and the other letters were added to bring the number up to thirteen. Both Mrs Melrose and her son regard thirteen as their lucky number, for “ Jim ” was born on September 13, 1913. Tall and quietly dignified in her floral chiffon frock, Mrs Melrose rose from her coffee in the lounge, nodded towards the room wherein some of the other flyers were attending a dinner party with much hilarity, and smiled with motherly wisdom. ”My Jim has been in bed these two hours. I think I’ll just go up and make sure he is asleep,” she said.