“With all my heart I wish you and the nation joy on the safety of your gallant husband and his companion. I rejoice that a Danish ship rescued his precious life.
“Alexandra.”
The next day I had appointed to go and see an Atlantic flight film at the Majestic Cinema, Clapham. We arrived at the hour fixed, and I thought there was a fire somewhere, as all the traffic was held up and there were simply mobs of people. I could not believe that they had all come to see us, but it seemed they had, and I am afraid they must have been very disappointed. Someone gave me a beautiful bouquet, but before I had gathered myself together it was taken away and then presented to me again by the same charming lady. It appeared that the hitch was caused by the cinema operator opposite falling off his cab just at the critical moment when the bouquet was being presented, so it had to be done all over again. I never saw the film version of this incident, but it must have been funny.
From a flag-bedecked box we saw the film of the Atlantic flight. Mr. Derwent Hall Caine said some very nice things about Harry, and added a few about me for the sake of politeness.
The next morning I stayed in bed and amused myself opening the more interesting of the correspondence. I received about 2,000 letters before Harry came home—that was in two days—and I am afraid many did not get opened for weeks.
Mr. and Mrs. Sopwith and myself left for Grantham just before lunch, and arrived with nearly an hour to wait for the train which was speeding Harry down from Scotland. The station was closed to the public and only R.A.F. cadets were allowed on the opposite platform. The station-master was most charming, and had arranged for Harry to meet me in his own little room on the platform.
While on board H.M.S. Revenge, Harry sent the following message, via Aberdeen, at 10.35 p.m. on Sunday, May 25th:
“My machine stopped owing to the water-filter in the feed-pipe from the radiator to the water-cock being blocked up with refuse, such as solder and the like, shaking loose in the radiator. It was no fault of the motor [Rolls-Royce]. The motor ran absolutely perfectly from start to finish, even when all the water had boiled away. I had no trouble in landing in the sea. We were picked up by the tramp ship Mary, after being in the water 1½ hours. We are going to London from Thurso at 2 p.m. on Monday, arriving in London between 7 and 8 p.m. on Tuesday.”
The above message constituted the first public account as to the cause of the failure.