“Sopwith Biplane. Motor, 100 h.p. Green; Carburetter, Zenith; Magneto, British Bosch; Sparking-plugs, British Bosch; Propeller, Lang.
“In addition to the prize of £500 to Mr. Sopwith, Mr. A. Mortimer Singer is kindly presenting Mr. H. G. Hawker with a souvenir.”
The R.Ae.C. notices of July 12th, 1913, also contained the following:
“Daily Mail £5,000 Prize: Circuit of Great Britain.
“The following entry for the Daily Mail £5,000 Prize, Circuit of Great Britain, has been received:
The Sopwith Aviation Co.
“Intending competitors are reminded that the entries close on July 16th, 1913, at 12 noon.”
On Saturday, July 13th, 1913, Harry fresh from winning the Mortimer Singer prize on Tuesday, was out testing a novel but useless idea in propellers on the Sopwith Tractor at Brooklands. Two penalties of fame which Harry had to pay on not a few occasions during his career were posing for photographers and testing inventions for all and sundry.
After testing a new tractor biplane fitted with ailerons, on Sunday, the 13th, Harry engaged in a friendly race with Hamel, who was flying a two-seater Blériot monoplane. Both machines had 80 h.p. Gnome engines. Although there was some doubt as to who really won the race, that Harry displayed the superior efficiency of the Sopwith biplane over the exactly similarly engined monoplane was beyond dispute.
Harry made a world’s record for height with three passengers on Sunday, July 27th, 1913, on the 80 h.p. Gnome-engined Sopwith Tractor biplane. On this occasion the weather was inclined to be hazy, and in a preliminary test flight Harry lost sight of the aerodrome at 1,500 feet, but from the ground he was plainly discernible, and spectators were amused by watching him circling around trying to find his bearings. Although it was rather windy, he carried one or two passengers early in the afternoon, and it was shortly after 5 o’clock, when the wind had dropped somewhat, that he decided to attempt to break the world’s record for altitude with three passengers. His passengers, Messrs. Bellew, Jones, and King, were all of at least average weight.