Pilots of the special ‘air survey flight’, which made the first RAF flights into Hong Kong photographed on board the seaplane carrier HMS “Pegasus” in November 1924. ’ Left to right: Flt Lt (later Gp Capt) GE Livock DFC, AFC, Fg Off (later Air Cdre) AJ Rankin AFC, Sqn Ldr (later Gp Capt) EL Tomkinson, Fg Off (later Wg Cdr) FH Isaac DFC and Flt Lt (later Gp Capt) EPM Davis AFC, AM. (Absent from the picture were Fg Off (later Air Cdre) AR Wardle AFC and Fg Off (later Gp Capt) L Martin AFC. The aircraft is Fairey IIID No. N9634 which made the very first flight, on 4 November 1924, piloted by Flt Lt Livock.
Just over 100 years ago - 3rd November, 1924, HMS Pegasus steamed into Hong Kong Harbour carrying a flight of RAF floatplanes - the first RAF aircraft to visit HK. A centenary there.
The photo above shows some of the pilots on the deck of the ship. Livock, the tall guy on the left was the flight commander, and their mission was to cover HK with aerial photography that could be used for mapping. As you will read in the caption, aerial photography commenced on November 4th, 1924... another centenary to be remembered today.
Recently, scanned copies of that 1924 aerial photography has been purchased by the HK Govt, and I hope it will be available for public use, in due course.
You are welcome to use the photo & caption, as the rights to it's use have been given to the HK Historical Aircraft Assoc. and we are happy for you to use it.
Comments
RAF Photographs
Copies of the 1924 survey along with latter RAF surveys are available online at NCAP - National Collection of Aerial Photography | NCAP and a georeferenced mosaic of the 1924 images can be found at www.hkmaps.hk. If you are interested into the background of the survey, I have documented the events History of Mapping Hong Kong Part 8 – HMS Pegasus – The Industrial History of Hong Kong Group and the creation of the subsequent map History of Mapping Hong Kong Part 9 – The GSGS 3868 Map – The Industrial History of Hong Kong Group
Later family connection with HK
If I recall correctly Livock's daughter lived at Discovery Bay in the 1990s before relocating to Dorset, UK.
The HKHAA had some correspondence with her.