'MHE competition for the honour of being the designer of the emblem to be carried by the aeroplanes of the British China Squadron, conducted by the committee of the British Voluntary War Contribution Fund, proved a great success, about one hundred entries being received. While many of the designs followed lines which were to be expected, there was mo lack of originality on the part of some of the competitors and the judges had their work cut out in deciding which design was most suitable for the purpose.
Eventually, after long consideration, it was decided that the winning entry was one submitted by Mr, N. E. Kent, with Miss Vera Southby and John Pearson, a lad of sixteen, runners up, Mr, Kent adopted the form of emblem which seems to have been commonly accepted by the Air Ministry of a device within a garter, surmounted by the Imperial crown and supported by a scroll bearing a motto. The device consists of two Chinese characters suggesting the word "hurricane" while the motto is "Rise from the East. was that sent in by the Yee Tsoong Ca, consisting of the customary form, with Crown, garter and scroll, Over which was imposed a remark. ably fine reproduction of a Phoenix. It was certainly a most striking piece of work, for which the Company deserves every credit, but it was so complicated that the judges felt that reproduction on fuselages would have been difücult, while few people who have mot been in China would recognize the phoenix, or realize immediately its connection with this country, Bat Already Used Specimens Provided Miss Vera Southby followed tne same general lines, the device she chose being the bat, the symbol for good luck. It was not a similar symbol] for her, as unfortunately the device is already in use in the R.A.F. as the emblem of a squadron of night bombers, and while, of course, the legend would indicate the origin of the British China Squadron, there was always a possibility of confusion between the two bats, especially at first. glance.
John Pearson, probably the youngest competitor so far as is known, sent in a remarkably striking emblem, carried out in brilliant yellow and red together with black, and is to be congratulated on coming out of the competition so well, Probably the most beautiful entry Incidentally it might be remarked that the Yee Tsoong Tobacco Ca, greatly assisted the judges in their work by forwarding a sheet of fifty cigarette cards in colour showing emblems already used by the various squadrons of the RAF, which enabled the judges to obtain a very good idea of what was most likely to be acceptable to the authorities at home.
The committee of the British Voluntary War Contribution Fund are very gratified at the response which British and other entrants made to the invitation to compete, as showing the great interest which is. being taken in the British China Squadron, and hope that it will be an augur; for. continued and improved support for the Fund.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.