Short-Bristow Crusader Seaplane by Page
Short-Bristow Crusader Seaplane by Page
A large watercolour on board of a Short-Bristow Crusader Seaplane by Page.
The detail of the plane in flight is shown with a simple, hazy background of the sea merging into the sky on the horizon. It is signed 'Page 27' with 'Medway, Rochester, Kent' and then 'SB Crusader' below. The back has a label noting 'Short-Bristow, Crusader 1. (P) 1927 - 800 H.P., Span - 26', Length - 25', Wt. 1.930lb, Pilot. Schofield. Rochester'. Above the label is written 'Curious Ada' 'RAF H/S. Flight Felx.' Written in pencil to the top left on the back is '7, On Test. MODS (Test), C. Cowlings, E. Strut. (Floats), Floats, Fuel Tank, Hood. W.S., White / Blue / Black'. Again, in pencil along the bottom of the board is written 'Reduced 1/2, Crusader P Short - Bristow - Rochester.'
The Crusader was a racing seaplane made by Short Brothers with the aim of winning the 1927 Schneider Trophy. The race to determine the fastest seaplane was started by Jacques Schneider in 1912 and gave the winner £1000 in prize money. It continued until 1931and the trophy, retained by Britain, is in London's Science Museum. Taxiing tests were carried out at Rochester before it was moved to Felixstowe to the RAF High Speed Flight for tests in the air. The Flight, as it was known, was started by the Air Ministry specifically to help Britain be competitive in the Schneider Trophy. Britain took 6 planes from 3 manufacturers to Venice, including the Crusader. It didn't win, having crashed due to a fault on the control rigging, but the British Supermarine S.5s came first and second.
The pilot in this illustration is given as Schofield. Flying Officer Harry Methuen Schofield was one of the pilots chosen to compete in the 1927 Schneider Trophy and he also helped test the plane over the summer. Schofield did go on to win the 1934 King's Cup Air Race in a GAL ST.10 Monospar.
Page's painting accurately depicts an aircraft built for speed and is redolent of an innovative time in airplane manufacture, when several countries were in competition with each other to produce the fastest and the best. Dated 1927.
Dimensions:
1927
Watercolour on Board
England
Page 27, Medway, Rochester, Kent, SB Crusader
Schneider Trophy Illustration
Unframed. Some uneven edges and shadow marks suggesting it's previously been framed.
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 1927 - 800 H.P., Span - 26', Length - 25', Wt. 1.930lb, Pilot. Schofield. Rochester'. Above the label is written 'Curious Ada' 'RAF H/S. Flight Felx.' Written in pencil to the top left on the back is '7, On Test. MODS (Test), C. Cowlings, E. Strut. (Floats), Floats, Fuel Tank, Hood. W.S., White / Blue / Black'. Again, in pencil along the bottom of the board is written 'Reduced 1/2, Crusader P Short - Bristow - Rochester.'The Crusader was a racing seaplane made by Short Brothers with the aim of winning the 1927 Schneider Trophy. The race to determine the fastest seaplane was started by Jacques Schneider in 1912 and gave the winner £1000 in prize money. It continued until 1931and the trophy, retained by Britain, is in London's Science Museum. Taxiing tests were carried out at Rochester before it was moved to Felixstowe to the RAF High Speed Flight for tests in the air. The Flight, as it was known, was started by the Air Ministry specifically to help Britain be competitive in the Schneider Trophy. Britain took 6 planes from 3 manufacturers to Venice, including the Crusader. It didn't win, having crashed due to a fault on the control rigging, but the British Supermarine S.5s came first and second.The pilot in this illustration is given as Schofield. Flying Officer Harry Methuen Schofield was one of the pilots chosen to compete in the 1927 Schneider Trophy and he also helped test the plane over the summer. Schofield did go on to win the 1934 King's Cup Air Race in a GAL ST.10 Monospar.Page's painting accurately depicts an aircraft built for speed and is redolent of an innovative time in airplane manufacture, when several countries were in competition with each other to produce the fastest and the best. Dated 1927.){kind=link}