This is one of the photos that I showed in the recent "Lucky Dip" video.
IDJ wrote in with some ideas about the aircraft, and would be glad to hear what other readers think:
In your first video of eBay purchases you show floatplanes at Repulse Bay.
Unfortunately, no markings can be discerned on the aircraft. i.e. RAF roundels on top of the wings. However the round tail fins suggest they are RAF Hawker Ospreys of the 1930s, possibly on an unauthorised “Jolly” for tiffen at the hotel. While there were other RAF floatplane types at Kai Tak in that period they had distinctive square or rectangular tail fins.
This is the only image I have seen of RAF aircraft using Repulse Bay. I don’t recall any mention of a visit in the newspapers although it’s in full view of the public. Usually if RAF floatplanes are pictured on a beach or the shore other than Kowloon Bay they have had engine trouble or whatever. The other possibility is that they are from Macau’s Naval Air Arm that also flew Hawker Ospreys. They did visit Hong Kong occasionally.
De Ricou with his ‘AIR Days’ in 1920 was the principal brief floatplane user of Repulse Bay prewar.
Gwulo photo ID: A772J1
Comments
Re: Repulse Bay Photos
Difficult to identify the aircraft.
I think the two Repulse Bay images were likely related as they are numbered at bottom left. Perhaps taken on the same day but from different locations in the garden of the Repulse Bay Hotel given the boat passing the headland at top middle and sailing boat at right.
In the video, the Repulse Bay photo on top was a common tourist photo and originally produced by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels as a postcard. I have seen a date of 1930 for it which means the photos would have been taken earlier than this year.
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Update
Upon further investigation, the original photos came in a folder showing 12 scenes of the interior and exterior views of the Repulse Bay Hotel:
Photo 9 - "Seaplanes in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong"
Photo 12 - "Repulse Bay from Hotel Steps, Hong Kong"
It is very likely the seaplanes in Photo 9 would have been those belonging to Captain Charles de Ricou's Macao Aerial Transport Company. His Aeromarine 39B floatplanes had the rounded tailfins.
Further reading
1. Macao Aerial Transport Company: https://industrialhistoryhk.org/the-macau-aerial-transport-company-first-commercial-airline-company-to-be-established-in-hong-kong-or-macau/
2. Captain Charles de Ricou: http://www.chingchic.com/captain-charles-de-ricou.html
Repulse Bay aircraft
de Ricou’s activities were discounted as the depicted departing floatplanes appear to be silver coloured and therefore with silver painted /dope or metal construction as per RAF types, and that the Aeromarine types in de Ricou’s fleet were in dark colours and had wing strut heights noticeably elevating the upper wings above the lower ones and the fuselages.
https://gwulo.com/media/14768
Related images of the gathering during the ‘Air Days’ show the Bay to be crowded with spectators launches milling about amongst the aircraft and so impeding take-offs.
de Ricou Aeromarine aircraft airborne
Re: Flights at Repulse Bay
Had a browse through regarding seaplane flights at Repulse Bay in the 1920s. Nothing else is mentioned except for those flights made by Captain de Ricou in the early days of the opening of the Repulse Bay Hotel.
I understand de Ricou had a number of Curtiss seaplanes (11 ?), type not known, that were delivered at end of March 1920. Hard to clearly see the aircraft type in the photo. A trial flight perhaps ?
With reference to David's photo, the same photo that I have seen and which I have a copy of, comes in a light sepia tint. I think the full set of the Repulse Bay Hotel photo postcards were taken in the 1920s.
Air Days Repulse Bay
This 21st century composite image is apparently how the Repulse Bay hotel operators visualised one of de Ricou’s Curtiss Seagull flying boats swooping down over the hotel. The heavily clothed pilot figure would have looked incongruous dressed as he is during the heat and humidity of the month of June at Repulse Bay.
Hong Kong’s governor took his first flight at these Air Days and is pictured in newsprint of the time.
If David’s print is part of a ‘set’ perhaps the hotel group has a 'complete set' and accompanying explanatory captions.
Air Days at Repulse Bay
A newly found image of part of de Ricou’s fleet at rest at Repulse Bay.
A Curtiss H16 and the larger Curtiss HS2L
Re: Curtiss Aircraft
Thanks IDJ for the follow-up on the Curtiss aircraft.
During the "Air Days", the larger Curtiss HS2L piloted by de Ricou was popular as it was able to carry two passengers at a time for a ride over the bay. The smaller machines used started from the shore.
From what I have read so far, the initial flights were well patronised but the novelty of taking to the air waned as time went on and attendance at later flying events became very poor.
The initial flights over Repulse Bay can be read in the local newspapers on 4 and 7 June 1920 respectively.
Floating diving platforms
The top photo shows three floating diving platforms in Repulse Bay. The first mention of them we've found is from 1924, whereas photos of the bay in the early 1920s show a diving pier instead (see the notes at https://gwulo.com/node/59429).
That suggests the top photo was taken in the mid 1920s or later, and so wouldn't show any of de Ricou's flights in 1920.