1929 H.M. S/M L3 - Winners of Submarine Cup (China)

Nice to have some names of the L3 crew. We might be able to match them up with faces in other photos. Thanks for finding this identifying document, moddsey. 

This photo is also in the personal album of my husband's grandfather, William Richmond Fell. He is correctly identified in this photograph, but Gordon Duff, who appears in several other photos, is definitely the man in the jersey standing second to right. This photo is dated 1929 by WRF.

Thanks moddsey. At the moment I'm personally unable to view the newspaper images, but I hope that this issue can be resolved by Apple in due course.

1928/29 sporting calendar would explain WRF's memory that the photo was taken in 1929. Also, as Gordon Duff was an officer it doesn't make sense that he wouldn't have been in uniform for a formal photo like this. I withdraw my previous identification. 

As to WRF's rowing prowess, the Fell children spent their childhood rowing and sailing in the treacherous currents and winds around Wellington and the bays.

Oh joy - I have finally managed to access these pages with Firefox! The WRF album has photos of the 4th submarine flotilla rowing four in action and of the crew. WRF, whose nickname was "Tiny" Fell was actually the cox, so his rowing prowess wasn't needed. The album also has a photo titled "Big children's party Titania 1929 Xmas." As everyone is in fancy dress, I wonder if this is the "Titania Farewell Dance" referred to on the same page 24 of the HK Telegraph 2-11-1929 as the short article reporting that the submarines are going home, to which moddsey directs us above.

I came across this memorial in Patricia Lim's data base of the Protestant Cemetery.

"In loving memory / Hugh Littleton / paymaster commander Royal Navy / HMS Titania and IVth S/M Flotilla / accidently drowned / September 27th 1929 / aged 39 years"

It is particularly sad that this officer lost his life with only a month to go before sailing home. There may be a mention in the newspapers that I haven't found.

Thank you for finding this. I looked in the papers just after Littleton's death, but not on the day itself. It seems to have been a case of not being steady on his feet after partying with his friends ashore. Shame there was nobody to stop him falling into the water.

I missed the ad! I'll add it to the collection. It seems that Section 21A of the Colonial Cemetery is particularly devoted to the Royal Navy. I notice that there are several HMS Titania crew members commemorated here in the 1920s. I also notice that more than one of the gravestones in this section (but not Littleton's) bears the mark of my family's company, CE Warren & Co. It had only just occurred to me that my young uncle, Leslie Warren, born 1900 and my husband's grandfather, WR Fell, born 1897, were in Hong Kong at the same time.