Aviation

The first aviators to attempt the journey between Lisbon and Madeira were Captain António Jacinto de Brito Pais and Lieutenant José Manuel Sarmento de Beires. They took off from the Amadora airfield on 18 October 1920, at about 10 in the morning, but unfortunately never reached Madeira: the biplane they were using for the journey came down in the sea. It was found at midday on the 19th by the British steamer Gamboa River, of the port of Liverpool, which picked up the shipwrecked airmen.

More fortunate than these two aviators were Captain Gago Coutinho of the Navy, Lieutenant Commander Sacadura Cabral, 1st Lieutenant Ortins Bettencourt and the French mechanic Roger Soubiran. Leaving the Tagus in the seaplane ‘F-3’ at 9.25 a.m. on 22 March 1921, they reached the bay of Funchal that same day, shortly after 5 p.m.

No sooner had the aircraft arrived in our bay than it was surrounded by a large number of boats. It was towed to the Pontinha (‘little point’) mole (breakwater), where it remained, by a motor launch carrying the civil governor and other local authorities.

After the first official greetings, the four aviators went by car to the Palácio de São Lourenço (St Lawrence Palace), where they stayed. There they were welcomed by the civil governor, the harbour master, the Secretary-General and the Military Commander, and Lieutenant Commander Sacadura, on his own behalf and that of his companions, gave thanks for the tokens of esteem shown to them by both the authorities and the Madeiran people. A glass of champagne was then offered to the aviators and several toasts were raised, among them one to Brito Pais and Sarmento Beires.

On the morning of 28 March the seaplane performed some manoeuvres over the bay of Funchal, then flew on as far as Paul do Mar (‘marsh by the sea’). At 5 p.m. that day, before a huge crowd, the ceremony was held of laying the foundation stone of the monument that the banker Henrique Vieira de Castro had erected in the Jardim Municipal (‘municipal garden’) in honour of the aviators who first completed the Lisbon–Madeira raid. The record of the ceremony, after being read and signed by various dignitaries, was sealed in an iron casket together with some coins, and the casket was placed on the site intended for the monument. On 30 March, at 5.45 p.m., the seaplane took off again to meet the British steamer Briton, which was carrying the urn containing the remains of the Unknown Soldier. On 2 April, at 1.40 p.m., it set off for Porto Santo (‘holy harbour’), where the aviators intended to wait for favourable weather to return to Lisbon.

Unfortunately, however, that return could not be made in the aircraft that had brought them to the archipelago. On the morning of the 6th, as it was taking off over the bay of Porto Santo bound for the capital, it caught fire, and the aviators had to take refuge aboard the destroyer Guadiana, which was lying in the same bay and in which they travelled on to Lisbon.

It was said that the disaster was caused by the rupture of one of the seaplane’s smoke bombs. The four daring aviators escaped death by quickly throwing themselves into the sea, where they were promptly rescued by some fishing boats, which took them aboard the Guadiana.

The aircraft was completely destroyed, but its crew suffered nothing beyond the fright and the disappointment of the disaster that prevented them from completing the air journey they had set out to make.

Besides the tributes to the aviators already mentioned, there were held in their honour a tea and a dinner at the ‘Monte Palace Hotel’, the former given by the Funchal Commercial Association (Associação Comercial do Funchal); a ball at the Casino Pavão (‘peacock casino’), organised by the Madeira Sports Club (Clube Sports da Madeira); car excursions to various places around the city; a luncheon at the Quinta da Palmeira (‘palm-tree estate’), given by its owner; etc., etc. On Porto Santo, a group of ladies offered the aviators wine and sweets when the seaplane arrived on that island.

The destroyer Guadiana, which had arrived in Funchal on 24 March, left for Porto Santo on 2 April, before the aircraft’s departure, to carry the petrol for the journey from that island to Lisbon. The ship returned to Funchal on the 4th to take on coal and provisions, and left again for Porto Santo on the 5th, where, as we have seen, it took in the aviators after the disaster of the 6th.

The infantry captain and aviator Brito Pais and the engineering lieutenant and aviator Sarmento Beires, to whom we have already referred, were commended in the Army Order of November 1920 ‘for the magnificent proof of daring they gave in attempting an air raid to the island of Madeira, in which, though they did not achieve their objective, they nonetheless proclaimed loudly the rare qualities of intrepidity and energy that mark out aviators, and performed a feat that has brought extraordinary distinction to aviation and honour and lustre to the army.’

Although the daring aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral did not touch Madeira during their glorious flight from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, their heroic feat was nonetheless splendidly celebrated here from 17 to 20 June 1922. When news reached Funchal, shortly before 4 p.m. on the 17th, that they had arrived in Rio de Janeiro, thousands of shells and rockets were sent up into the sky. At the same time the church bells rang out and almost all commercial and industrial establishments closed in honour of the two great Portuguese heroes.

For four days the illuminations were truly dazzling, not only on public buildings but also on many business premises. Those of the Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal) stood out for their beauty or refined taste, as did those of various houses and establishments in Rua do Comércio, Rua do Bettencourt, Rua do Capitão-Tenente Carvalho de Araújo, Rua de João Tavira, Rua do Dr. Vieira, Rua da Alfândega, etc. The avenues of Dr. Manuel de Arriaga and Gonçalves Zarco remained lit up, with a band playing in the former, and several shop windows displayed decorations more or less alluding to the feat of the two glorious aviators. On some buildings hung banners bearing the Cross of the Order of Christ, which had accompanied the Portuguese of old on their glorious voyages, and portraits of Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral were displayed everywhere, above all on postcards, which the people of Funchal bought with enthusiasm.

On the 19th there was a night-time procession of boats, followed by a marche aux flambeaux that went from the Cais da Pontinha (‘little point quay’) to the Convent of St Clare (Santa Clara), where the tomb of the island’s discoverer lies. There Dr Juvenal de Araújo and Second Lieutenant Armando Correia gave brilliant, patriotic speeches. On the 20th, at 2 p.m., a formal session was held in the Municipal Council building, with speeches by Dr Teixeira Jardim, president of the Council, the aforementioned Dr Juvenal de Araújo and Gabriel Brasão Vieira, a student at the lyceum (state secondary school). When the portraits of the illustrious aviators were unveiled at this session, the hall rang with prolonged applause.

Besides the celebrations already mentioned, there was also a Te Deum in the Cathedral (Sé Catedral), organised by the Catholic Youth of Funchal, which ended with an address by Dr Gomes Jardim; a festival at the Teatro-Circo, at which various gifts were given to the children and Dr Pestana Júnior spoke; a dinner in honour of the aviators given by the Brazilian consul for the Funchal authorities; a ball at the Casino Vitória, etc., etc. In Santo António, Ribeira Brava, Machico, Santa Cruz, São Vicente, etc., there were also various demonstrations of rejoicing to commemorate the glorious feat of the two Portuguese aviators.

Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral were given an imposing reception in Funchal on their return to Europe aboard the steamer Porto, after their daring flight to Brazil. They landed at the Cais da Pontinha at 10.30 a.m. on 21 October 1922, amid the liveliest and most spontaneous displays of enthusiasm. They then went to the Palace of São Lourenço, accompanied by various dignitaries, where the head of the district once again offered them his greetings of welcome. Afterwards they went to the town hall (Paços do Concelho), where they received the diplomas conferring on them the freedom of Funchal, and then left for the Cathedral, where they attended a solemn Te Deum presided over by the diocesan prelate, who delivered an excellent patriotic address.

After the Te Deum the two heroic aviators went up to Monte (‘hill’), where a luncheon was given by the banker Luís da Rocha Machado at his quinta (country estate) there. In the afternoon a garden party was held for them at Reid’s Palace Hotel, attended by a large number of people. In the evening there was a performance in their honour at the Teatro-Circo, at which the film ‘Raid Lisboa-Rio de Janeiro’ was shown.

On the 22nd Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral lunched with the civil governor, took tea at 4 with the British consul and dined in the evening with the Danish consul. They also took a drive by car to Caniço (‘reed’) and attended a gala performance at the ‘Dr. Manuel de Arriaga’ theatre, at which Dr Juvenal de Araújo spoke brilliantly and Commander Sacadura Cabral replied in a warm impromptu speech that was loudly applauded.

On the 23rd the distinguished aviators lunched at the ‘Golden Gate’ hotel at the invitation of the Brazilian consul, and in the afternoon they gave a tea aboard the steamer Porto for the authorities and other people of Funchal. In the evening the two aviators attended a farewell dinner given by the celebrations committee, which was very lively and ended with a photograph of the guests. At about 10.30 they went aboard the Porto, while countless people gathered on the quay to cheer them and bid them farewell.

While Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral were in Madeira, there were brilliant illuminations on the quay, on Avenida Gonçalves Zarco, on the Pontinha road, on all public buildings and on many private houses. The quay and the entrance to the city remained decked with flags, among them many banners bearing the Cross of the Order of Christ.

The patriotic celebrations held in Madeira from 17 to 20 June and from 21 to 23 October 1922 were truly imposing. They were joined not only by all Portuguese nationals but also by some foreigners who understood how daring and moving the achievement of the two distinguished aviators had been. During those days Madeirans showed that they too take pride in the undying glories of Portugal, and the grandeur of the demonstrations held here is eloquent proof that the feelings of patriotism that once raised our country to the height of its former opulence have not been erased among us. See Praia, Sabão and São Francisco (streets) and Pontinha (road).