The question of inter-war RN China Station colours on County Class cruisers seems to be a hardy perennial.The yellow upperworks and funnels idea is a myth. So is the buff funnels idea. The correct colours for the China Command scheme were white hull and grey (507B) upperworks and funnels. This scheme finished in the summer of 1935 after which the China Command ships painted to light grey (507C) overall.
The error has crept in over the years either because people are getting confused with the East Indies Command painting scheme where funnels, masts and spars (but not upperworks) were at times painted yellow, or with the colours of the gunboats of the Yangtze river flotilla which were white hull and upperworks and buff funnels.
The inter-war Royal Navy divided the world up into various commands. The China Command was headquartered at Hong Kong and covered things east and north of Singapore. The East Indies Command was headquartered in Ceylon and covered the Indian Ocean - see the map halfway down this page:
https://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-3909-04RN.htm#4.2Each of these commands painted their ships differently. As can be seen in the attached Admiralty Fleet Order (AFO) 3948 of 1919, China Station upperworks were grey at the start of the inter-war period.
Attachment:
AFO 3948 1919.jpg [ 68.98 KiB | Viewed 10161 times ]
Subsequent painting AFOs all the way to the 1935 change to overall light grey 507C reconfirm this painting scheme. AFO 1658 of 1927 spelt out clearly that the grey of the China Station upperworks was 507B and this was also shown in the contemporary Rate Book.
Attachment:
1931 Rate Book.JPG [ 215.73 KiB | Viewed 10161 times ]
By way of confirmation that the ships of the China Command did paint as the Admiralty in London instructed, attached is a page from the inter-war Janes Fighting Ships 1935 edition. The earlier interwar editions say the same thing.
Attachment:
Janes 1935.jpg [ 301.3 KiB | Viewed 10161 times ]
Contemporary artefacts of inter-war RN China Station ships in UK museums and Royal Navy establishments show grey upperworks. You will find numerous watercolours showing this as well as some models and other sailors’ memorabilia. A few examples:
Here is a link to the builders’ model of HMS Cumberland as she was delivered to the RN by Vickers Armstrong ready for service on the China Station which where she went on first commissioning:
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collection ... 66003.htmlHere is as link to a model in the National Maritime Museum made at the time (1931-1934) by a crewman on HMS Kent.
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collection ... 67440.htmlIf you want to paint a County with coloured funnels then you need to do one in the yellow (not buff) funnels, with white upperworks and hull, of the of the East Indies Station such as HMS Norfolk in 1937.
Attachment:
Norfolk 1937 ish card.jpg [ 62.93 KiB | Viewed 10161 times ]