Jean Batten was made famous for breaking records as a pilot. She was happiest in the air but enjoyed her time being grounded in Jamaica, the island representing the first time since she made headlines for her exploits, she could really unwind.

‘IDEAL SPOT,’ SAYS JEAN BATTEN ON ARRIVAL

Aviatrix Who Established Several World Records Tells Of Her Achievements

Jean Batten, the New Zealand girl flier, who has repeatedly crashed front pages of newspapers with her record smashing hops, is in Jamaica.

The brunette lone flier, the “darling of the air,” who sent the world cheering her for her dare-devil Atlantic air dashes from England to New Zealand and back three years ago, and was made a Commander of the British Empire stepped off the Elders and Fyffe’s steamer, “Cavina” yesterday with her 62-year old mother in search of a sunshine holiday.

Miss Batten is tired of sending air records “to the winds,” in her hazardous flights in which she has laughed at difficulties and death.

The cheering of the world is still ringing in her ears when she crossed the 14,000-mile ocean in her magnificent Empire flight.  She has come for rest to be away from the limelight of publicity.  “It depends on how I like it ... I may be here for one or two weeks,” she said.

Twenty-nine year old Jean Gardner Batten, a New Zealand’s dental surgeon’s daughter who gave her sex an impetus the other day when she climbed to fame in being the first woman to make a solo flight across the South Atlantic ocean by air, met pressmen yesterday with a friendly smile and a vibrant handshake, that could have told of a life-long friendship.

She told of how she had longed to come to Jamaica after passing here on three occasions on her way by steamer to Panama and Curacao.

“AN IDEAL SPOT.”

“You ask me what has caused me to come here,” she asked. “Well, I have often passed the island in the distance and having enjoyed the East Indies so very well I thought of trying the West Indies.  The little that I have seen of Jamaica, when coming in, makes me think it is an ideal spot for a holiday.  I think it is one of our most interesting and loyal colonies ...”

Miss Batten displayed an enthusiasm to see our beauty spots as would a school girl on holiday.

“We have heard so much of  Jamaica that we have come to see for ourselves,” she confided.  “And you seem to have put on nice weather for me,” she chuckled.

She spoke of the “lovely voyage across” from Avonmouth and described the Elders and Fyffe’s steamer as a “very nice ship.”

With mother by her side Miss Batten explained that “she had just come from a lecture tour in the Baltic on behalf of the British Council for British propaganda and had only got back to London four days, when she boarded the ship for Jamaica.”

“Throughout the winter,” she said, “I have been on a fairly successful lecture tour in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Lativia and Lithuania.”

TELLS OF CAREER

And this busy woman recounted in her own charming and graphic manner how at 19 she started flying, having nine years ago secured her private pilot’s license at the London Aeroplane Club in 1930 and her commercial license two years later.  Then in 1933 she flew to India, to Australia in 1934, Australia to England in 1935 and the same year from England to South America. “I established a world record then, which still holds good between England and Brazil of 61 hours,” she explained.

  “In 1936 I flew from England to New Zealand making the first direct flight between those two countries – 14,000 miles, the longest flight in our Empire.  I later made another record flight between England and Australia of 5 days, 21 hours, beating the previous record by one day... In 1937 I flew back from Australia to England in 5 days, 18 hours and that meant another record beaten... Of course, I am only giving you the record flights and all those flights have been solo ones.

“I was also the first woman to fly to Australia and back to New Zealand and the first woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean,” she said with a smile.

A WRITER TOO

Miss Batten is not only a flier but a writer.  Last year when she was not flying she wrote “My Life,” in which she deals with her flights and which has received very fine press comments all over the world.  The book has just been translated in Swedish and is considered a “best seller.”

Just the other day before the Spanish war, with her mother she flew to France and right around Spain down to Morocco and then went back to England.

“I have no flying plans for the moment,” the famed flier answered a question as to her future plans.  “I have been promising myself a holiday for a long time and I am having it now,” she declared.

Very interested in the development of flying in Jamaica is Miss Batten. She looked disappointed when she heard that we had not yet got a decent flying field.

The British “Who’s Who,” has nearly a quarter page reference to Jean Batten’s achievements as compared with a Baronet’s one inch mention on the same page.  It is no wonder, as Jean Batten has been decorated by many nations.

She is an Officer of the Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil; a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour of France.  She was awarded the Britannia Trophy of the Royal Aero Club in two years in succession.  She received the Harmony Trophy award by an international vote in 1935, 1936, and 1937, the Johnston Memorial Air Navigation Trophy, the Challenge Trophy of the United States of America of the Women’s International Association of Aeronautics on three occasions, the Seagrave Trophy and the Coupe de Sibour.

HOLDS GOLD MEDALS

She is the holder of gold medals from the Federation Aeronatique International, the Royal Aero Club, Aero Club de France, Academie des Sports, the Royal Swedish Aero Club, Ligue International des Aviateurs, and the Royal Danish Aeronautical Society.  She is an Hon. Life Fellow of the Royal Empire Society.

Miss Batten and her mother are staying at Myrtle Bank Hotel. They plan to motor around seeing Jamaica.