26 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION PATROLLERS AND AIRLIFTERS
HARROW II
1918 2018Top and bottom
rightright
Following trials, three
Harrows were operated
by Flight Refuelling
and replenished Short
Empire Flying Boats on
transatlantic services,
two from Gander,
Newfoundland and
one based in Foynes,
Ireland. In 1940, the two
aircraft at Gander were
pressed into service
with the Royal Canadian
Air Force.A
lthough it was designed as
a bomber for the RAF, the
Harrow was actually employed
primarily as a transport.
It was also one of the first large
monoplanes to join the RAF during
the Expansion Scheme and traced
its history to the prototype Handley
Page HP.51 troop carrier, which
flew in 1935 (itself a monoplane
conversion of the three-engined
Handley Page HP.43 biplane).
The resulting HP.54 (and HP.51)
were both created with Air Ministry
specification C.26/31 for a bomber
transport in mind. However, soon
after the HP.51 had flown, the
Ministry changed the specification
to focus on the bomber role with less
emphasis on the cargo element.
The new specification (B.29/35)
was tailor-made for the HP.54
Harrow and on August 14, 1935,
the RAF ordered 100 examples
of the new bomber. It would be
October 10, 1936 before the
prototype (K6933) first flew.
Designed around a pair of 830hp
(619kW) Bristol Pegasus X engines,
the Harrow was equipped with
powered nose and tail turrets and
featured a manually operated
dorsal turret. A bombload of
3,500lb (1,588kg) could be carried,
including a single 2,000lb (907kg)
bomb if required. Later Harrow II
versions were powered by 925hp
(690kW) Pegasus XX engines.BOMBER SERVICE
The first Harrows entered service with
214 Squadron at RAF Scampton,
Lincolnshire in January 1937,
replacing Vickers Virginia bombers.
By the end of the year the Harrow
equipped four other squadrons
and, together with Armstrong
Whitworth Whitleys, the aircraft
formed the basis of the RAF’s heavy
bomber force until 1939. However,
the Harrows were quickly eclipsed
by newer machinery and its final
frontline presence was retired (by
215 Squadron) in December 1939.1937 TO 1945
HANDLEY PAGE