Fly Past

HANDLEY PAGE HEYFORD 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

BOMBERS RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION 31

Left

Heyford I K3490

served initially

with 10 Squadron

at Mildenhall from

November 1935.

The retractable,

rearward-fi ring

ventral turret – known

as the ‘dustbin’ – is

extended. K3490

ended its days at

West Freugh with 4

Bombing and Gunnery

School in July 1940.

© ANDY HAY

http://www.fl yingart.co.uk

Left

A Hawker Demon

‘intercepting’

Heyford I K3490 of

99 Squadron in late

1934. The closeness
      of the attack was for
      the benefi t of the
      photographer. KEC

Below

Heyfords attended

the annual Hendon air

display en masse for

the fi rst time in 1934.

In the aircraft park to

the left are Boulton

Paul Overstrands and

Gloster Gauntlets,

which would make

this scene 1935 at

the earliest. Close

inspection reveals

six radial engines

on ‘stalks’ in the

background belonging

to a trio of Saro Cloud

training amphibians.

encountered severe
freezing conditions the
Heyford had no de-icing
aids – and there was scattered,
thick fog. Leading the flight was
Sqn Ldr Charles Attwood in K4868.
He made a text book forced-landing
in a field at Jackson Edge, near Disley,
southeast of Manchester.
Attwood was followed in by Plt
Off M Clifford in K6898. Unsure
of the terrain, Clifford executed a
‘go-around’, but his undercarriage
hit a wire fence, impeding a climb
away; the Heyford hit further fences
and a telegraph pole and came to a
slithering halt.
The following morning, Attwood
flew K4868 out of the field and
returned to Finningley. There he
discovered that Fg Off John Gyll-
Murray in K5188 had successfully
force-landed near York; he landed
at Finningley later in the day. That
was four accounted for, what of the
others?
Sgt Williams in K4864 encountered
fog and brought his Heyford down
near Blyborough in Lincolnshire.
He and his crew were safe, but
the bomber was wrecked. Over

Lancashire, Flt Lt Charles Villiers was

losing control of K4874 due to ice

accretion on the wings. He ordered

his crew to take to their parachutes.

All landed safely while the Heyford

impacted near Oldham.

Near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire,

Sgt Otter found K6900 was becoming

increasingly uncontrollable. With

terrible visibility and unaware of his

position, he descended but the aircraft

hit high ground. Otter was injured;

his crew of three were killed.

“A retractable, manually operated turret

was located in the ventral position... known

as the ‘dustbin’ – it was intended to cover

the vulnerable ‘behind and below’ aspect.”

At Martlesham Heath, the Aeroplane

and Armament Experimental

Establishment had been evaluating

anti-icing systems. Ironically, in

early 1939, Flt Lt A E Clouston flew

Heyford III K5184 at Martlesham

to test a liquid-based system fitted

into ‘mats’ on the wing leading edges.

Clouston concluded that inflatable

‘boots’, which broke up instead of

dissolving ice, were more effective.

Wars come and go, but hostile weather

is a constant enemy.