The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 130
130 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN Our secretary, Syed Bashir Ahmad, was delighted with the place because he was able to take up and acquired quite a proficiency in skiing while he was there. We were altogether a very happy family. Among the people there was Lord Hailey, whom I knew from India and had known in London. Incidentally, he is still going strong; he is well over 90, and maintains a lively interest in Asian and African affairs. There were several other outstanding people whom I knew already and some whom I met for the first time. From Mont Tremblant, I went on to Ottawa, where I stayed at Government House with the Earl and Countess of Athlone. The Earl was a brother of Queen Mary. The Countess, Princess Alice, was a very gracious hostess. The then Chief Justice of Canada, Sir Lyman Duff, very kindly invited me to sit with the Supreme Court of the Dominion, one morning, while they were in Session, a courtesy judges extend towards each other. Incidentally, I had already sat in Lagos with the Supreme Court of Nigeria and in Accra with the West African Court of Appeal. I went from Ottawa on to Toronto, and from Toronto to Washington, D. C. Lord Halifax was then Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the United States. He told me that he had received a message from the Viceroy that I was to go on to England, for consultations which I recognized must have been Dick Casey's doing through the Secretary of State. I was told arrangements would be made for my travel to London. Begum Shah Nawaz would not be able to travel with me as I would travel by the bomber flight and women were not permitted to travel this way. So arrangements would be made to send her back to India the way we had come. My secretary and I would go on to London. So we had to go back to Montreal. We had to wait a week in Montreal for the bomber to take off. The bomber arrived the day after we arrived in Montreal, and we were taken to the airport and were briefed. We had to put on silk and leather suits, gauntlets and fur caps, etc. When we were fully accoutred for the journey, we looked like polar bears on their hind legs. The bomber, which would fly at 20,000 feet was not heated; there were no seats, mattresses were spread on the floor and plenty of pelisses and things were provided to keep us warm while we would be lying down. After the briefing we were taken back to the hotel and were told that we would leave the next day. But next day a blizzard started which delayed our departure for a week.