the uprated 2,100hp Hercules 763. G-AGUB
was loaned to the BOAC Development Unit
at Hurn, near Bournemouth, Dorset, in May
1949 for Hermes IV crew training, which was
followed by hot and high trials in Libya and
Sudan in August 1949.
In October 1953 G-AGUB was given
the military serial number VX234 for radar
development trials with the Royal Radar
Establishment at Defford, Worcestershire.
Later based across the county at Pershore,
it became the final Hermes flying and
was scrapped there in June 1969.HERMES IV
In April 1947 the Ministry of Supply
ordered 25 examples of the HP.81
Hermes IV for operation on BOAC’s
African services. A Bristol Theseus
turboprop version of the Hermes II,
which was to be called the Hermes
3, was envisaged but was not
proceeded with.
Successful testing of the Hermes
II had led to the development of the Hermes
IV, the definitive production version. It
differed primarily by having tricycle landing
gear, more powerful Bristol Hercules 763
2,100hp engines and a fuselage shorter
ahead of the wing and longer aft, as BOAC
required a heavy forward galley. The
Hermes IV was the first post-war British
design to serve with BOAC.
After its 75-minute maiden flight on
September 5, 1948 piloted by Hazelden,
the first Hermes IV, G-AKFP, appeared at
the SBAC show at Farnborough only twodays later. On October 22, while engaged
in handling tests with a newly fitted spring-
loaded trim tab on the elevator, G-AKFP
suffered extreme flutter and the tail started
to break up but fortunately Hazelden landed
safely. Following this incident, a new tailplane
was fitted. In February to March 1949 the
Hermes IV was based at Khartoum, Sudan,
for tropical trials. It received its Certificate of
Airworthiness on July 6, 1950. G-AKFP was
followed by 24 production aircraft.To expedite testing, G-AKFP had been
built with many Hastings components and
the Ministry of Civil Aviation accepted it
would need weight reduction modifications
to make it suitable for airline operation.
G-AKFP completed its trials in March
1952 and was returned to the factory
where its wings were re-sparred, and its
structure was then lightened by more than
200lb (90.7kg) in the hope of it making
acceptable to BOAC, but the airline rejected
it. Handley Page then leased G-AKFP
to Airwork in 1953 which accepted it at ahigher weight than BOAC had specified in
the contract and it was bought outright in
February 1957.TURBOPROP VERSION
Development did not cease with the Hermes
IV as Handley Page built two HP.82 Hermes
Vs, which were essentially Hermes IVs with
turboprop engines. These were the largest
and fastest turboprop airliners of the day but
were let down by the unreliable performance
of the 2,220hp Bristol Theseus powerplants.
Though versions of the Hermes V that used
other engines were considered, no further
development took place and only the Hermes
IV ever saw commercial service.
The first Hermes V, G-ALEU flew on
August 23, 1949 and was on view to the
public at the September 1949 SBAC
Farnborough Airshow. During a test flight from
Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, on April 10, 1951,
one of G-ALEU’s four Theseus engines was
shut down to prevent overspeeding. Shortly
afterwards, two other turboprops lost power
due to fuel starvation. The pilot made a
skilful one-engined emergency landing with
undercarriage up, just short of Chilbolton
aerodrome in Hampshire. The aircraft was
moved onto the airfield with a view to repairing
it and flying it out but was found to be too
badly damaged and was written off.
The second prototype Hermes V,
G-ALEV, flew on August 26, 1950 in
time for it to make its debut appearance
at the September 1950 SBAC show. It
made its final flight on June 27, 1952
and was dismantled at Farnborough in
September 1953.HERMES IN BOAC SERVICE
BOAC would not accept G-ALDA, ’B
or ’C, just as it had refused G-AKFP,
because they were too heavy, so they
were used only for crew training and
proving flights over African routes. The first
aircraft the airline accepted were G-ALDD and
G-ALDE, which were delivered in March 1950.
During training G-ALDF crash-landed at
BOAC’S base at Hurn on May 1, 1950. As it
was undertaking an engine-out approach a
second powerplant cut on final approach, the
aircraft landed short of the runway, bounced
and then crashed onto the runway. It was
extensively damaged; the undercarriage was
broken off and repairs took almost two years.
BOAC then rejected it and after repair it was
leased to Airwork.
Another incident at Hurn was with G-ALDB
on a training flight on July 19, 1950. On
approach to land the mainwheels locked down
but the nosewheel remained up. Despite
aerial manoeuvring, the front undercarriage
remained stubbornly up. Eventually the
crew cut a hole into the nosewheel bay and
forced the wheel down with a curtain rail
and G-ALDB made a safe landing. BOAC
accepted only 20 Hermes in total.
The type entered BOAC service on
August 6, 1950 when G-ALDJ flew the
Heathrow – Accra in Ghana schedule, via80 Aviation News incorporating Jets July 2018BOAC’s Hermes IV G-ALDM, off the Isle of Wight, circa 1951. Key CollectionAirwork Hermes carried military serial number during trooping flights. Hermes IV WD840’s
civilian registration was G-ALDC. Key Collection‘Despite aerial manoeuvring the
front undercarriage remained
stubbornly up. Eventually
the crew cut a hole into the
nosewheel bay and forced the
wheel down’
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