“The more drab the world becomes the more gladly we welcome such fine achievements as his.
“Today therefore I ask you to drink to the health of Captain Lindbergh as the pilot who has broken the world’s record, and as a worthy representative of our close friends and war allies, the pilots of the United States of America. Still more, however, do I ask you to drink to his health as a young man who embodies the spirit of adventure and lights up the world with a flash of courage and daring, and, I am glad to say, of success.”
In the late afternoon, at the invitation of Lord and Lady Astor, Lindbergh had tea at the House of Commons. That evening the Royal Air Club gave him a dinner at the Savoy. From there he went to a Swedish festival and at midnight attended the famous Derby Eve Ball at Albert Hall. He arrived with the Prince of Wales and as he entered the band struck up “Yankee Doodle.” There he made his shortest speech of many short ones. It was simply: “I thank you for my reception tonight. It has been one of the greatest of my life.”
On June 1st Lindbergh saw his first Derby. Three hundred thousand people had travelled to Epsom Downs to see this great traditional spectacle of horse racing. As the visiting flier was guest of Lord Lonsdale he sat in a box surrounded by royalty.
That evening was his last in England’s capital. The combined American societies of London entertained him at a banquet. After many speeches, Sir Samuel Hoare rose once more to the occasion and expressed this parting thought:
“Perhaps before long, instead of a single flight, we can induce you to make a regular habit of it. The sooner air communications are established between the two English speaking nations, the better our relations will be. You came to us as a great aviator, but I know you leave as a real friend of England. I am not sure that the latter part of your trip has not been as important as your first.
“It was a triumph of man over machinery, of man over the brute forces of nature. The flight was a tribute to the young men of the world—of the new generation which has sprung up since the war, determined to subdue the forces of nature—determined in the near future to make the air a great highway for intercourse between your people and ours.”
The day set for departure was misty. On arrival at Kinnerly Airdrome Lindbergh found conditions too difficult to fly to Paris. So there he remained that night as the guest of the Royal Air Force. But he had little sleep; for at 3:30 a messenger awakened him with word the weather was clearing.
He hopped off at 6:20 A.M. but thirty-eight minutes later, due to low visibility, he came down at Lympnel, England. At eight o’clock a big Handley Page mail and passenger plane flew over. Whereupon Lindbergh quickly went aloft and used the big ship as a guide all the way to Le Bourget.
In the afternoon he attended a ceremony at the Swedish Church in Paris and the next morning—Saturday June 5th,—he took-off for Cherbourg at 9:22 accompanied by twenty planes.