40 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION PATROLLERS AND AIRLIFTERS
ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH
ALBEMARLEALBEMARLE
1942 TO 1944
Right
Armstrong Whitworth
Albemarle ST V1823
was one of 49 of that
variant operated by
the RAF. Of the 602
Albemarles delivered to
the RAF, 17 crashed on
active operations and 81
more were lost during
training. On December
22, 1944, V1823 stalled
shortly after releasing
the glider it was towing
from RAF Shawbury,
Shropshire. The
aircraft crashed near
Newmontford Bridge, in
the same county, killing
pilot Andrew McAlpine.
ANDY HAY/WWW.FLYINGART.
CO.UKA
lthough the Albemarle was
designed as a reconnaissance
bomber, and the first 32
were built as pure ‘mud-movers’,
the aircraft really found its niche
as a glider tug. The type was also
the RAF’s first with a tricycle
undercarriage.
The aircraft began life as the
Bristol Type 155, created in response
to Air Ministry Specification P.9/38.
This called for a twin-engined
medium bomber of wood and metal
construction, which could be builtby manufacturers outside the aircraft
industry and without using the light
alloys, which it was feared could be
in short supply if war began.
Armstrong Whitworth (AW) and
Bristol both submitted designs and
although the latter was victorious,
the company was already committed
to producing Blenheims, so AW
was asked to manufacture the new
bomber instead. It was christened
eponymously after the Duke of
Albemarle, a famous English soldier,
naval officer and statesman.CHANGING ROLES
The original specification stipulated
a 4,000lb (1,814kg) bombload, but
changes in policy soon resulted in
the Albemarle being reclassified as
a reconnaissance aircraft capable of
bombing if needed. This resulted
in the range being increased
and an upper dorsal turret and a
(retractable) ventral turret being
fitted – although the latter was
dropped from production versions.
These changes to the requirements
meant the prototype (P1360) did1918 2018