Giles Guthrie taxies Edgar Percival's Mew Gull, G-AFAA, on the Friday before the race took place. Officially entered by the Viscountess Wakefield, it was flown by Percival to take 6th place the following day. Badly damaged in a heavy landing at Hatfield during WW2 the damaged airframe was destroyed in a fire-fighting demonstration at Luton Airport in July 1945. Press photo.

'The King's Cup Air Race starts on Friday next and finishes on Saturday. Last minute preparations were made by pilot[s] on the Percival planes at Luton aerodrome as all planes must be at Hatfield by tomorrow (Thursday). O.P.S. Capt Percival, who is flying the Viscountess Wakefield of Hythe's Percival Mew Gull in the air race, giving the plane a trial spin.' Percival took third place in the race. The E.3, or E.3H, was different from the earlier Mew Gull racers and was called the Super Mew.