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As the Michelin Competition definitely closed on October 31st, there was no time to lose, and on Thursday, the 24th, Harry put up a flight of 8 hours 23 minutes, which proved to be the British Duration Record held by him for several years. On the same day a flight of 7½ hours was made by his friend Raynham, who held the British Duration Record for a brief spell of 1 hour 35 minutes, having started and finished before Harry. Lord Charles Beresford was among those who witnessed these record flights. I cannot do better than reproduce the following account communicated to the Aero by its special correspondent in November, 1913.

“We were astir early in the Sopwith camp on Thursday, October 24th. Not that this was the first early-morning attempt on the Michelin prize. The same thing had been going on for a week past, and no fewer than three times in this week had the new Sopwith twin-screw A.B.C.-engined biplane sallied forth. Hawker, the pilot, had been chosen to fly the Sopwith ‘bus,’ and his determination, skill, and enthusiasm through this and the previous attempts justified the faith put in him for such a task. Hawker is a young Australian, and, like his fellow countrymen Busteed, Pickles, and Harrison, he shows very great promise as a flier. Joining the Sopwith school as a mechanic, he was allowed to learn on the orthodox school type Farman, and he early displayed his aptitude for this work by going up to 1,000 feet and remaining there for fifty minutes on the fourth day of his training.