Below: A letter of appreciation for the actions of HMS Gnat in August of 1938. I believe the letter refers to the incident described in the following excerpt from, "The Royal Navy and the Sino-Japanese Incident" (Martin H. Brice, 1973): "It was very important that no misunderstanding occur and that no excuse be given to the Japanese for inflicting upon Hankow the fate that had befallen Nanking. Already Japanese aircraft were striking at targets close to Hankow, including the Chinese suburbs of the city and outlying villages. On August 2nd, six seaplanes attacked the Chinese Customs tender Chiang Hsing about thirty miles below Hankow. Her funnels had been painted white and yellow, so that she should not be mistaken for a Chinese naval craft which were usually mud-colour or blue-grey. She was engaged on her regular patrol duty inspecting lights, buoys and other navigational aids. When the attack began she was anchored alongside a light-vessel, but she managed to beach herself on the riverbank just as she was hit by a bomb and caught fire. The survivors were machine-gunned as they struggled ashore and Captain Crawley and two Chinese were killed. The Japanese first claimed that Chiang Hsing had been removing beacons, but they then apologized. While the investigation was proceeding Gnat was sent downriver to recover Captain Crawley's body for burial. The gunboat was buzzed by Japanese aircraft during this melancholy task but was otherwise unmolested."

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