Singapore IIIs were withdrawn from use soon after this photo was taken. The location is over the Irish Sea. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

'A Short Singapore III flying boat of 209 Sqn leaves RAF Mountbatten, Plymouth, for an anti-piracy patrol during the Spanish Civil War.' That conflict broke out just as No 209 was re-equipped with Singapores in July 1936. The squadron deployed to RAF Kalafrana, Malta for three months in 1937. K6921 served with No 209 until it was struck off charge in August 1939. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

K3592 was the first S.19 Singapore III. Probably a Short photo, which appeared in Flight. Photo from: Life

Crashed on a night take-off from Seletar on February 2, 1937. Photo from: Norman Melrose

Struck off charge December 1937. Photo from: Norman Melrose

Ex RAF, passed to the RNZAF ahead of the fall of Singapore. Operated from Fiji pending the arrival of Catalinas. Photo from: Air Force Museum of New Zealand

K4581 was provided by the British Government in 1936 for a survey of the route for the Qantas/Imperial Airways flying boat air mail service to Sydney. The aircraft was withdrawn from use in 1938. Photo from: Norman Melrose

The Rudy Arnold files at the NASM contain some photos of British aeroplanes clearly not taken by Arnold, with potty dates such as 12 November 1938 for this one. This is the first prototype of the Short Singapore, which eventually led to the four-engined, triple-finned S.19 Singapore III. N179 first flew on 17 August 1926 and is seen on the River Medway near the Short factory, with Rochester Cathedral visible and Rochester Castle behind the propeller. As G-EBUP it left for South Africa with Alan Cobham on 17 November 1927. Photo from: Smithsonian Institution