TRANS-ATLANTIC DASH TO SEE ILL WIFE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5282, 19 December 1946, Page 7

TRANS-ATLANTIC DASH TO SEE ILL WIFE

Garrying a huge bunch of chrysanthemums, Alfred Henderson, 24-year-old Canadian gold miner, walked into a private ward at Brighton P-anato-rium. At first the girl did not recognise him. She was too ill. But after half an hour -Mrs. Margaret Henderson, bride of 15 months, stirred slightly and o-pened her eyes. "It's Alf," she murmured. For an hour the couple sat holding hands. Then, when he had talked with the doctor, Alfred said: "Thank God; I got here in time. I would have arrived long ago had I known she was ill. "Her letters arid a cable did not reach ane until two days ago." It was two days earlier, at Du Parquet, Quebec, that Alfred finally got the news. He went to the Canadian War Services Mission, asked: "Please help me." They did. Within a few hours he was at Montreal and aboard a plane for Britain. Across the Atlantic his plane ran into bad weather. It could not land at Preswiek, Scotland, and was diverted to ' Shannon Airport, in Eire. A,.quick breakfast, and Alfred was on his way to London Airport. , There was a car ready to take him to Brighton. It brolce down twice on the road. 'E'verybody has been marvellously good to me," said Alfred. "Someone even got be a big' bunch of flowers." Mrs. Henderson, ex-Wjaaf who met her hsuband while 'he was in the Canadian forces in Briitain, was to have sailed for Canada last February. She fell ill and her condition is still serious. t . xamammeimMtt