Told by Himself. Hodder & Stough: ton, London. 7/6
With the world still ringing the praises of the winners of the Melbourne Air Race, which brought the JAustralian city within three days' laying time of London, the autobiography of the principal figure in the flight, C. W. A. Scott, who was Jaccompanied by T. Campbell Black, is very timely. In fact, it is such a short time since the flight was made Jand the winners returned to London Jonly a few days ago, that the pub-Theation is a remarkable piece of Like the air dash to Melbourne Jwhich transformed all modern ideas lof transportation, the book similarly transforms ideas of publication for the compiler, Mr. John Leggitt, and the publishers, had it completed and on ithe market before Scott had returned from Melbourne. The secret of this Jremarkable production lies in the fact that most of the book had been completed before the fight was made, the last chapter describing the fight "was obtained—by cable from the victor, and Messrs. Cathcart Jones and Waller, who made a record return flight, brought photo-Jeraphs used to illustrate it. Thus Javiation and the publishing industry linked forces in transferring an epic lof speed to the printed page.
While the book deals largely with the personal side of Scott and his exploits it really is the history of jaetiat pioneering between" England jand Australia for Scott made four fights along the route, and his narrative bristles with well-known names like Kingsford-Smith, Hinkler, the /Mollisons and others who made Australia not a distant outpost of the Jempire—"ten league beyond man's Ute" but by their daring and skill Jgradually brought it within an amaz~ ingly short distance from—London. Scott started his career in an adventurous fashion. After leaving school lhe went on a sugar plantation British Guiana, which nearly cost him his life owing to the unhealthy climate, Obtaining release from. his Jcontract, he returned to England Jwhere he joined the Royal Air Force Jand on November 18, 1923, when he obtained his "wings" a great airman was in the process of creation.
His career in the R.A. F. was tem-estuous. to say the least. He received Jan intensified training although his first flight ended in disaster. He learnt night flying, aerobatics, parti-Jcipated in the Wembley exhibition Jexercises, flew new machines with an audacity that astonished his comrades and cost some of their lives when they attempted to emulate him—and had an unusual number of crashes which caused his commander to shake is head dubiously. The resum was that his temporary commission was not Jmade permanent and he was out of the service with a bonus. swallowed lup by his debts he candidly admits, Jalso abundant hopes and a navig tional skirt which served him in good stead in the strenuous years to come.
Scott decided on Australia for his next field of adventure and he joined the Queensland and Northern [Territory Air Service—Quantas as it is known by its shorter name and which now links up with the Imperial JAirways service along the route he helped to blaze between London and Melbourne. This chapter alone is a tribute to the pioneers of aviation for Jwith meagre ground organization but Jdepending chiefly on the skill of the [pilots thousands of miles of territory [possessing little or no transportation facilities were opened up by the aeroplane. It was during these strenuous Years that Scott met Hinkler and Amy Johnson, acting as escorts from Port Darwin, after their flight from England. A' serious crash put him out of action for some months but during subsequent periodes fying instructor the ambition to follow the Jexamples of Hinkler and Amy John-ison was growing in intensity. The opportunity came in 1931 when he bargained with a man to buy a machine in England and deliver it in JAustralia. The flight was based on fa hard business deal but it was ins pired by adventure and succeeded Leaving Lympne aerodrome on April 1, 1931, after financial diticulties smoothed out by his father and encouraging tolerance of the mantis facturers, he flew the Moth to Sydney nine "days, beating Kingsford-'Smith's record and receiving a welcome which revealed to him the warm Jadmiration of the Australian people for his feat.
Thereafter, Scott's Mights seem to Ihave been routine and he gives Jmodest accounts.of performances which are really "marvellous. His Foutes and his stops read like lessons geography, although he encounter rough weather. fought sleep the whole time, battled with sandstorms and defected his greatest" enemy, time, which rode with him as an unwelcome passenger on some of his Between England and Australia, also in a Moth, he established his second. record, arriving two days under Kingsford Smith's, time, and back to Australia to beat Butler, who had {trimmed his previous record. Scott beat Butler by six hours after a trip. over the Timor Sea which reads like nightmare for, as he points out, Port Darwin "is the one spot of civilization in the north-west Australia and to miss Port Darwin is fas bad as falling into the sea for there is no water and no vegetation and no life for hundreds of miles on either side of Port Darwin, He reached the point where only £20 miles separated him from his goal.
writes:
Again the dread and fear of that sea grossing overcome me. "To say" that T'was frightened of It i to say the least, and when I lett Timor Koepang Tldnight 1 did so. with prayers in my "heart and mind. Soon after had taken off tow clouds began to form ever the sea, so 1 climbed up into' "the "moonlight "above, and With this layer of white between me the sea. "Somehow or other there Seemed security in these clouds, but Inidden from me, nor had 1 of winds speed or direction. 45,1 was able to make no observations, Jong time coming." When it was light T'throttied my engine back fide through the clouds, hoping that {it the best T might be over the Jand Of Aus*ralla, or, at the worst, within Sight of it. The time was about hal Poignant memories are stirred in this gentle picturization of the way things once were and now perhaps can never be again. The plot and ideas are all so very old, but in. th: setting of the few' years before, during and just after the War, a new interest in given to the theme, that theme of the highly inter-bred, tempestuous Paul Dumaine, son of society, as the impassioned lover, and the able and reserved daughter of poor clergyman, Alison Drew, ax the marriage partner for pity and for money. The story of their characters as unfolded in their lives at Shadow Lawn, their home, is Quite beautifully done. Many who can from personal experience ive again as the woman Alison. will perhaps be the most stirred, articular story or chronicle is made here. Rather has it been the work of the author to touch on many. things of the old days and ways that, with the passage of the years, the natural conclusion comes to show how these two distant and distinct characters have been drawn together to an understanding in that house of the lofty and shadowy trees, now found in tragic moment, later to be desolate.
Itis a book' for qui hours beside the fireside when memories are easily stirred " and carried along to present things which, as perhaps at no time in. history, contrast 30 strongly and forcefully inst the modes and moods of the not so long ago—eits
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.