HANDLEY PAGE HAMPDEN 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
BOMBERS RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION 43Above
A long-term
restoration project
at the RAF Museum’s
Michael Beetham
Conservation
Centre at Cosford is
Hampden TB.I P1344.
Operating from
bases in Murmansk,
in northern Russia,
144 Squadron fl ew
torpedo-equipped
Hampdens in
September and
October 1942 in
defence of the Arctic
convoys. Shot down
on 5th September
1942, the wreckage of
P1344 was salvaged
in 1990. Illustrated
is the centre section
showing the dorsal
and ventral gun
positions. KEN ELLISAbove left
The fi rst Short-built
Hereford, L6002, at
Sydenham around the
time of its fi rst fl ight
in May 1939. Note
the parallel exhaust
stacks of the Napier
Dagger H-format
engine. KECLeft
The dorsal gunner of
a Hampden, clad in
an Irvin sheepskin-
lined leather jacket,
showing how exposed
his twin Vickers ‘K’
gun turret was to the
elements. The metal
bar protruding from
the fuselage was a
handhold to assist in
the climb up from the
wing’s trailing edge.better than the Vickers Wellington.
It was only 12mph slower than the
lightweight Bristol Blenheim.
Unlike the Whitley and the
Wellington, the Hampden had
been designed from the start to
be constructed in sub-assemblies,
enabling the most efficient use of sub-
contractors supplying the assembly
plants.
The prototype first flew on June
21, 1936 and the type entered
frontline service with 49 Squadron
at Scampton in August 1938.
Production was handed over to
English Electric at Samlesbury in
Lancashire from the beginning of
1940 to allow the parent company
to start the Halifax assembly line
rolling.
Hampdens were withdrawn from
Bomber Command operations
by mid-September 1942. Coastal
Command employed them as
torpedo bombers until the advent
of the Bristol Beaufighter in late- By that time, Hampdens were
also being supplanted at operational
training units (OTUs).
DAGGER OPTION
A version of the Hampden powered by
the troublesome 24-cylinder, H-format
955hp (712kW) Napier Dagger VIII
entered limited production as the
Hereford. The prototype, converted
from a Hampden, took its maiden
flight in October 1938.
The Hereford’s disappointing
performance and reliability meant
only a handful saw service with the
Hampden-equipped 185 Squadron
at Cottesmore from August 1939 to
April 1940. The remainder of the 100
manufactured joined OTUs.
Manufacture of Herefords was
entrusted to Short and Harland at
Sydenham, Belfast, the first example
appearing in May 1939. If nothing
else the Dagger-engined variant
prepared the workforce to tackle
mass production of the Short Stirling
‘heavy’.Type: Four-crew medium bomber
First fl ight: June 21, 1936; entered service August 1938
Powerplant: Two 1,000hp (746kW) Bristol Pegasus XVIII radials
Dimensions: Span 69ft 2in (21.08m), Length 53ft 7in (16.33m)
Weights: Empty 11,780lb (5,343kg), all-up 22,250lb (10,092kg)
Max speed: 254mph (408km/h) at 14,000ft (4,267m)
Max range: 1,885 miles (3,033km)
Armament: One fi xed machine gun and one free-mounted machine gun in the
nose plus two each in dorsal turret and ventral position. Up to
4,000lb (1,814kg) of bombs
Replaced: Avro Anson, Hawker Hind from 1938; Armstrong Whitworth Whitley,
Bristol Blenheim, Fairey Battle, Vickers Wellesley from 1939
Taken on charge: 1,453 (100 Herefords by Shorts, 23 converted to Hampdens); sub-
contract to English Electric and Canadian Associated Aircraft
Replaced by: Avro Manchester, Handley Page Halifax from 1941; Vickers
Wellington from 1942; Bristol Beaufi ghter from 1943HANDLEY PAGE HAMPDEN
“Its deep fuselage tapering abruptly into
a tail boom led to the Hampden being
nicknamed ‘Flying Suitcase’ and ‘Flying
Panhandle’ – while the Luftwaffe referred to
it as the ‘Tadpole’.”
AboveAbove
A long-term A long-term A long-term