19 Feb 1935, Forced landing at Tai Long Wan

First page
Submitted by Admin on Wed, 04/06/2016 - 13:06

 

Grief on a beach-1935
Grief on a beach-1935, by IDJ

Phil identified the location as "Tai Wan beach in Tai Long Wan in northern Sai Kung."

Additional notes from IDJ:

An afternoon’s research staying at home enforced by cool and showery weather has unearthed the attached information from 4 sources in my research library relating to the ‘Grief on a Beach’ image.

Hong Kong-RAF crash on beach-1935-001.jpg
Hong Kong-RAF crash on beach-1935-001.jpg, by IDJ

The newsprint, date, location and the names of crew are now known. Engine trouble was the cause of the enforced landing, the location mentioned is “Fung Bay”. Not sure if this name will still exist on modern maps.

Interestingly the same image that I posted on Gwulo has been found in a book with the location stated as being “in China”.

Hong Kong-RAF crash on beach-1935-003.jpg
Hong Kong-RAF crash on beach-1935-003.jpg, by IDJ

Since the twenty years the book was published before the 1997 handover I suppose it’s now correct that the location is now actually in ‘China.’

Hong Kong-RAF crash on beach-1935-002.jpg
Hong Kong-RAF crash on beach-1935-002.jpg, by IDJ

While the book image declares the aircraft being from the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, however the other sources say HMS Hermes. It was common practice for aircraft to transfer between ‘Carriers’ as they changed over their periods on the China Station

Date(s) of events described
First page

Comments

I have seen a photo of the Fairey Seals K4216 together with K4217 and K4218 in formation over the Naval Dockyard dated 1935. See here

Map from 1936. Fung Bay probably so named after the promontory, Fung Head adjacent to Tai Long Wan.

1936 Tai Long Wan
1936 Tai Long Wan, by Moddsey