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55-632: Canadian Associated Aircraft was a joint Canadian-United Kingdom project to build Handley Page Hampden aircraft in the late 1930s. During the build-up to the Second World War , Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. had joined together with five other aviation companies in setting up Canadian Associated Aircraft Ltd. The consortium was formed in 1938 to build the Handley Page Hampden for use in the Royal Air Force with Fairchild mainly contracted to build

110-460: A fair compromise between range, payload, and speed. During early 1936, the first prototype, designated as the HP.52 and given the serial number K4240 , was completed. On seeing the narrow-yet-deep fuselage, which was only 3 ft wide, C. G. Grey , founder of The Aeroplane magazine, remarked "it looks like a flying suitcase", a nickname that stuck with the aircraft for its lifetime. On 21 June 1936,

165-648: A featured role in The Big Blockade , a 1941 Second World War propaganda film showing "blockade" bombing and its effects on the German war industry, with Michael Rennie and John Mills as two of its four-man crew. Data from Hampden: Defender of Liberty, The Handley Page Hampden (Aircraft in Profile 58) General characteristics Performance Armament Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists George Volkert George

220-552: A large number of Hampdens were dispatched on night-time mine -laying (code-named "gardening") flights in the North Sea in areas deemed unapproachable by British shipping. According to Moyes, this activity proved highly effective, experiencing a low casualty rate of less than 1.9 aircraft per mission. The Hampden also saw a return to its use as a daytime bomber during the Norwegian Campaign , but quickly proved to be under-gunned in

275-538: A long-range torpedo bomber (the Hampden TB Mk I with a Mk XII torpedo in an open bomb bay and a 500-pound (230 kg) bomb under each wing) and as a maritime reconnaissance aircraft . The Hampden was also used by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), Aviatsiya Voenno-Morskogo Flota (AV-MF: Maritime Military Fleet Aviation) of

330-424: A mountaintop near Ucluelet, British Columbia . Together with the salvage of P5436 in 1985, a lengthy reconstruction project was culminated in the unveiling of the composite P5436 Hampden now on display in the museum. Two facilities that built CAA aircraft: Handley Page Hampden The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden is a British twin-engine medium bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It

385-615: A number of "war weary" Hampdens were later flown from the UK to Patricia Bay as replacements. Hampden Mk I P5436 was one of the Canadian-built Hampdens. It completed only 100 hours of flying time before crashing near Patricia Bay, on 15 November 1942, while engaged in torpedo dropping practice. In the 1980s, the Canadian Museum of Flight salvaged the remains of Hampden AN136 from Mt. Tuam on Saltspring Island and, later, N132 from

440-648: A single person. The navigator sat behind the pilot and access in the cockpit required folding down the seats. Once in place, the crew had almost no room to move and were typically uncomfortable during long missions. Aircrews referred to the Hampden by various nicknames due to this, such as Flying Suitcase , Panhandle , and Flying Tadpole . Wilfred John Lewis wrote: I did my first flight and first tour on Hampdens. A beautiful aeroplane to fly, terrible to fly in! Cramped, no heat, no facilities where you could relieve yourself. You got in there and you were stuck there. The aeroplane

495-816: A small number of sorties from Vaenga. While it was originally intended that the Hampdens would be flown back to Scotland, the prevailing west–east headwinds on such a flight might have pushed the Hampdens beyond their maximum endurance and it was decided to transport the wing's personnel back to Britain by sea and gift the Hampdens to the Soviet Navy . Aircrews and mechanics from Maritime Military Fleet Aviation ( Aviatsiya Voenno-Morskogo Flota ; VMF) were trained by members of 144 and 455 Squadrons, before their return to Britain in October. The 3rd Squadron, 24th Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment (24 Минно-торпедный авиаполк; 24 MTAP ) operated

550-503: A twin-engined day bomber with higher performance than any preceding bomber aircraft. Handley Page and Vickers both designed aircraft to meet this specification, the Vickers design became the Wellington. The Handley Page design team, led by George Volkert , drafted a radical aircraft, initially centering upon the politically favoured Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine. By mid-1934 development of

605-420: Is claimed to have discarded the belief that aircraft such as the Hampden could realistically operate by day and instead chose to predominantly employ them under the cover of darkness during nighttime operations. During 1940, Hampdens of 5 Group conducted 123 nighttime airborne leaflet propaganda missions, losing only a single aircraft in the process. On 13 April 1940, days after Germany's invasion of Norway ,

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660-549: The Central Flying School at Upavon Aerodrome , Wiltshire , become the first aircraft to enter RAF squadron service, being delivered to No. 49 Squadron . By late 1938, the mass manufacturing plans for the Hampden had been formalised. In addition to Handley-Page's own production line, the type was to be built under subcontract by English Electric at its factory in Preston , Lancashire ; on 6 August 1938, English Electric

715-559: The Handley Page Hare and Handley Page HP.38 heavy night bomber. Volkert then designed the large HP.42 airliners for Imperial Airways that flew long distance from the UK to parts of the Empire. The Handley Page Hampden was designed in 1933, and first flew on 21 July 1936. It entered service with 49 Sqn in September 1938. The Handley Page Halifax , of which he was responsible for

770-734: The North Circular Road ). Nearby was the home of Prof J.D. McGee , the Australian inventor of the television camera. By 1975 he had retired to Spain. He died in Spain aged 88. His wife died in February 1990 in Uckfield . His son Alan was on married Saturday 11 July 1970 at Westerham church to Lindsey Richards, daughter of Terence Charles Richards,( Chief geophysicist BP) of The Burgage in Westerham, where

825-735: The Northampton Institute in London (now City University London ) qualifying in July 1910. After being caught driving a motorcycle without rear lights at Mickleham, Surrey , he was fined February 1914. The same week he was fined 20s at Acton Police Court , for driving at 29 miles an hour on the High Road in Chiswick . He joined Handley Page in 1912, becoming head of the design department, when only 21. Post war, demand for aircraft dropped and Handley Page

880-588: The Royal Swedish Air Force (RSAF) in the Hampden, including in a potential licence production arrangement for 70 aircraft to be built in Sweden, a single production Hampden was supplied to Sweden. Designated P.5 by the RSAF, it was operated by the service until November 1945, after which it was sold to Svenska Aeroplan AB (SAAB) to serve as a flying testbed before being retired in late 1947. On 22 February 1940,

935-724: The Soviet Union and the Swedish Flygvapnet (Air Force). The Hampden in RCAF service included the 160 examples manufactured in Canada by the Canadian Associated Aircraft consortium. Of the total built, 84 were shipped by sea to Great Britain, while the remainder came to Patricia Bay (Victoria Airport) B.C., to set up No. 32 OTU (RAF) used for bombing and gunnery training . Typical exercises at 32 OTU consisted of patrolling up

990-607: The battleship Tirpitz . The Hampden crews flew from Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands to Vaenga (Vayenga; later known as Severomorsk) in Murmansk Oblast , Russia . This was a hazardous route, often subject to poor weather and spanning more than 2,100 nautical miles (3,900 km), partly over enemy-occupied territory in Norway and Finland. Eight Hampdens were lost or damaged beyond repair en route. 144 and 455 Squadrons flew

1045-516: The first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne . When it became obsolete, after a period of mainly operating at night, it was retired from RAF Bomber Command service in late 1942. By 1943, the rest of the trio were being superseded by the larger four-engined heavy bombers such as the Avro Lancaster . In 1932, the Air Ministry issued Specification B.9/32 seeking

1100-483: The torpedo bomber role. Later that year, detachments from both squadrons were dispatched to Vaenga airfield , Murmansk , Russia, to help safeguard the Arctic convoys in the vicinity. A total of four squadrons assigned to Coastal Command would be equipped with Hampdens. These squadrons continued to use the type into late 1943; the last Coastal Command squadron transitioned from the type on 10 December 1943. Almost half of

1155-611: The " balalaika " – the Russian nickname for the Hampden, in reference to its unusual shape – until mid-1943, when losses, a lack of replacements and a shortage of spares forced its retirement. 24 MTAP then reverted to the Ilyushin DB-3 / Ilyushin Il-4 . In Sweden, the Flygvapnet assigned an HP.52 to Reconnaissance Wing F 11 at Nyköping for evaluation, under the designation P5. After the war,

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1210-438: The "Flying Suitcase" because of its cramped crew conditions, or more plausibly, because of the unusually thin, deep, slab-sided and rectangular shape of the fuselage was reminiscent of that of a suitcase. In September 1938, No. 49 Squadron received the first Hampdens; by the end of the year, both 49 and 83 Squadrons at RAF Scampton had re-equipped with the type. A total of 226 Hampdens were in service with ten squadrons by

1265-626: The Goshawk looked less promising and the Air Ministry relaxed the tare weight (unloaded weight) requirement of the specification, allowing for the use of heavier and more powerful radial engines such as the Bristol Perseus and Bristol Pegasus . According to aviation author Philip J.R. Moyes, the Handley Page design soon found support with the Air Ministry in part because it was judged to represent

1320-515: The HP.52 by the Swedish Air Force led to the creation of the HP.53 prototype, which was subsequently used as a testbed for a pair of 1,000 hp (750 kW) Napier Dagger VIII 24-cylinder H-block air-cooled inline engines. In August 1936, the Air Ministry placed an order for 100 Hampdens equipped with the Dagger engine. Those aircraft subsequently received the designation HP.53 , along with

1375-782: The Halifaxes flown from England were with the RCAF in North Yorkshire as No. 6 Group RCAF . He married Violet Elizabeth Haley, of Hurlingham, on 21 July 1928 in Isleworth, in Brentford ).; at the time he lived in Grove Park, Hounslow . They had a son Alan Charles (born in 1937) and a daughter Jane (born on 7 November 1938), when living at 42 Beaufort Road in Ealing (a few hundred metres east of Hanger Lane ,

1430-566: The Hampden had a curved Perspex nose fitted with a manual .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun and a .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K installation in the rear upper and lower positions. The layout was similar to the all-guns-forward cockpits introduced about the same time in Luftwaffe medium bombers, notably the Dornier Do 17 . During the Norwegian Campaign , these guns proved to be thoroughly inadequate for self-defence in daylight;

1485-456: The Hampden's empennage . Of 1,430 Hampdens manufactured, 160 were built in Canada by the "Canadian Associated Aircraft" consortium of three Ontario ( Fleet Aircraft , National Steel Car , Ottawa Car and Aircraft ) and three Quebec ( Canadian Car and Foundry , Fairchild, Canadian Vickers ) aircraft companies as a so-called "educational project" to build up the Canadian aircraft industry and provide

1540-581: The Hampdens built, 714, were lost on operations, with 1,077 crew killed and 739 reported as missing. German Flak accounted for 108, one hit a German barrage balloon , 263 Hampdens crashed because of "a variety of causes" and 214 others were classed as "missing". Luftwaffe pilots claimed 128 Hampdens, shooting down 92 at night. The last Bomber Command sorties by Hampdens were flown on the night of 14/15 September 1942 by 408 Squadron, RCAF against Wilhelmshaven . After being withdrawn from Bomber Command in 1942, it operated with RAF Coastal Command until 1943 as

1595-588: The RAF's first bombing raid on Berlin . Sergeant John Hannah was the wireless operator/air gunner of an 83 Squadron Hampden and was awarded the Victoria Cross on 15 September 1940, when he fought the flames of the burning aircraft, allowing the pilot to return it to base. In April 1942, the Hampden-equipped 144 Squadron and 455 Squadron RAAF were transferred from Bomber Command to Coastal Command to perform

1650-472: The United Kingdom for wartime service. The final Canadian-built aircraft was delivered in late 1941. The Hampden Mk I had a pilot, navigator/bomb aimer, radio operator and rear gunner. Conceived as a fast, manoeuvrable "fighting bomber", the Hampden had a fixed forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine gun in the upper part of the fuselage nose. To avoid the weight penalties of powered turrets,

1705-506: The United Kingdom owns the wings and tail of "P1273"; the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre is currently restoring AE436 to flying condition. Both of these were also 144 Squadron aircraft, lost during the transfer to Russia. The former, "P1273" was shot down by mistake by Soviet fighters over Petsamo . The latter was lost over Sweden, its remains discovered in a remote region by hikers in 1976. The HP Hampden had

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1760-639: The West Coast of Vancouver Island at night or flying out into the Pacific to a navigational map co-ordinate, often in adverse and un-forecast inclement weather. Due to attrition from accidents, about 200 "war weary" Hampdens were later flown from the U.K. to Patricia Bay as replacements. In Operation Orator , during September 1942, the crews of 32 Hampden TB.1 torpedo bombers from No. 144 Squadron RAF and No. 455 Squadron RAAF flew to Northwest Russia , to protect arctic convoy PQ 18 from German surface vessels, such

1815-399: The aircraft was sold to SAAB where it was used as an avionics testbed. The Hampden was powered by two 980 hp (730 kW) Bristol Pegasus XVIII nine-cylinder radial engines. A Mk II variant, designated the HP.62, was developed by converting two Hampdens to use the 1,000 hp (750 kW) Wright Cyclone engine in 1940, but no further work was done on that project. Interest in

1870-401: The aircraft's high top speed for the era of 265 mph (230 kn; 426 km/h) while retaining a reasonably low landing speed of 73 mph (63 kn; 117 km/h). The Hampden's flying qualities were typically described as being favourable; Moyes described it as being "extraordinarily mobile on the controls". Pilots were provided with a high level of external visibility, assisting

1925-471: The defender of civil liberties" to inspire future crews of his namesake aircraft. L4032 and L4033 , which was the second production-standard Hampden to be produced, would be later assigned to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at RAF Martlesham Heath , Suffolk . On 20 September 1938, the third production Hampden, designated L4034 , following the completion of handling trials conducted by

1980-663: The design, first flew on 25 October 1939. The aircraft was designed with Gustav Lachmann . On Monday 20 April 1942 a programme on the BBC Forces Programme , at 8pm, was devoted to his work as an aircraft designer, notably of RAF four-engined bombers. In early 1944, 1,200 Halifaxes were produced in six months. Two-fifths of Britain's heavy bombers in World War II were Halifaxes. It entered service with 35 Sqn on 23 November 1940 at RAF Linton-on-Ouse , carrying out its first night-raid on 11 March 1942 over Le Havre . Most of

2035-444: The execution of steep turns and other manoeuvres. The control layout required some familiarisation, as some elements such as the hydraulic controls were unobtrusive and unintuitive. Upon introduction, the Hampden exhibited greater speeds and initial climb rates than any of its contemporaries while still retaining favourable handling qualities. The slim and compact fuselage of the aircraft was quite cramped, being wide enough only for

2090-622: The expertise for building the four-engined Short Stirling bomber (ultimately the Stirling project was dropped and the Avro Lancaster was substituted). The Hampden was the only aircraft the consortium produced. They were built at Malton Airport near Toronto and at St. Hubert Airport near Montreal. Of the 160 Hampdens built, 84 were shipped by sea to Britain, while the remainder came to Royal Air Force station Patricia Bay (now Victoria Airport) , British Columbia to set up No.32 Operational Training Unit (RAF). Due to heavy attrition from accidents,

2145-687: The face of German fighters. On 19 March 1940, Hampdens took part in the first deliberate bombing of German soil in a nighttime raid upon the seaplane hangars and slipways in Hörnum , Sylt . The type continued to operate at night on bombing raids over Germany. Flight Lieutenant Rod Learoyd of 49 Squadron was awarded the Victoria Cross for a low-level attack on the Dortmund-Ems canal on 12 August 1940 where two of five aircraft failed to return. On 25 August 1940, Hampdens from various squadrons participated in

2200-606: The first Preston-built Hampden, P2062 , conducted its maiden flight. English Electric would go on to manufacture a total of 770 Hampdens, more than any other company, before delivering its final aircraft on 15 March 1942. In July 1940, Handley-Page terminated its own production line for the Hampden upon the completion of its 500th aircraft. On 9 August 1940, the first Canadian-built Hampden, P5298 , made its debut flight; by October 1940, Canadian production had risen to 15 aircraft per month. A total of 160 Hampdens were completed by Canadian Associated Aircraft, many of which were ferried to

2255-497: The fuselage, a more rounded ventral defensive gun position, and a slightly modified nose. L7271 later received a pair of Dagger engines and was accordingly re-designated as the HP.53 ; on 1 July 1937, it performed its first flight after having received the new engines. Another prototype, L4032 , was produced to serve as the production-standard prototype; on 24 June 1938, the third prototype conducted its maiden flight. L4032 differed from

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2310-460: The name Hereford . Manufactured by Short & Harland in Belfast , their performance was almost identical to that of their Hampden cousins, but there were problems with the engines. The Dagger engine proved to be noisy and unreliable. Cooling problems plagued the engine while being run on the ground, resulting in distortions and premature failures. The problems were not satisfactorily resolved, with

2365-555: The previous two prototypes in that it was powered by a pair of Pegasus XVIII engines, the nose incorporated an optically flat bomb-aiming panel, as well as the ventral and dorsal gun positions being revised. On 24 June 1938, L4032 was officially christened by Lady Katharine Mary Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Viscountess Hampden , at a ceremony held in Radlett Aerodrome, the same day on which its first flight took place. Viscountess Hampden's speech invoked "the spirit of John Hampden ,

2420-511: The prototype, powered by a pair of Bristol Pegasus P.E.5S(A) engines, conducted its maiden flight from Radlett Aerodrome , Hertfordshire , piloted by Handley-Page chief test pilot Major James Cordes. In late June 1936, the prototype was put on public display in the New Types Park, Hendon Air Show , London . In August 1936, in response to the successful flight trials performed by K4240 , the Air Ministry issued an initial production order for

2475-482: The result that most of the Herefords on order were converted to Hampdens, while those that were constructed were often re-engined to become Hampdens. A limited number of Herefords did enter squadron service but were only used by training units. No Hampdens remain in flying condition today, although examples do remain on display or undergoing restoration: Hampden I P1344 Hampden, P5436 The Wings Aviation Museum in

2530-434: The single guns were replaced by twin Vickers K guns, a process led by Air Vice Marshal Arthur Harris of No. 5 Group RAF in 1940. The Hampden had a flush- rivetted stressed skin, reinforced with a mixture of bent and extruded sections in an all-metal monocoque design. A split-assembly construction technique was employed: sections were prefabricated and then joined, to enable rapid and economic manufacture. The fuselage

2585-607: The start of the Second World War, with six forming the operational strength of 5 Group of Bomber Command based in Lincolnshire . With the outbreak of war in 1939, Hampdens were initially used to perform armed aerial reconnaissance missions, observing German naval activity during daylight. However, despite its speed and manoeuvrability, the Hampden proved to be no match for Luftwaffe fighters; in December 1939, Bomber Command

2640-488: The type, ordering 180 production aircraft to be manufactured to meet Specification B.30/36 ; concurrently, a second order for 100 aircraft powered by the Napier Dagger was issued to Belfast -based Short & Harland . In early 1937, a second prototype, which received the serial number L7271 , was completed; this second prototype had several differences from the first, including the pitot tube being repositioned below

2695-567: Was able to release him in 1921 to go to Japan as part of the Sempill Mission to build up Japan's naval aviation. S. Richards took his place at Handley Page. In 1923 he became Chief Designer of Handley Page. Handley Page had its design department at Woodley, Berkshire . In May 1924, he was given the Order of the Rising Sun by Japan. After his return to Handley Page in 1924, Volkert started work on

2750-458: Was awarded an initial contract to manufacture 75 Hampdens. In addition, Canadian interest in domestic production of the type had resulted in the establishment of the joint Anglo-Canadian Canadian Associated Aircraft company, which promptly received an initial order from the RAF for 80 Hampdens to be completed in Canada; this facility would effectively act as a shadow factory during wartime. On 1 September 1938, in response to interest expressed by

2805-572: Was born in Fulham to Charles Fredrick Karl Volkert and Caecilie Volkert (daughter of Friedrich Chrysander , the 19th century musicologist). His mother died on 24 December 1922; His sister Cecily married Flying Officer Bernard de Nevers on Tuesday 8 March 1927 at St Mark's Church in Peaslake in the Surrey Hills to . His father died on 7 December 1929 aged 76. He studied at mechanical engineering at

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2860-417: Was built around a main girder spar, leading edge section and trailing edge section. The wing made use of wingtip slots and hydraulically actuated trailing edge flaps ; the flaps and ailerons had stress-bearing D -spars. According to Moyes, the configuration of the wing was a key feature of Hampden, being highly tapered and designed to exert low levels of drag ; these attributes were responsible for

2915-492: Was in three big sections – front, centre and rear – that were built using jigs . The centre and rear sections were made of two halves, which meant that the sections could be fitted out in part under better working conditions prior to assembly. All possible assembly work was performed at the benches prior to installation upon each aircraft. The wings were made up of three large units: centre section, port outer wing and starboard outer wing, which were also subdivided. Each section

2970-410: Was like a fighter. It was only 3 feet wide on the outside of the fuselage and the pilot was a very busy person. There were 111 items for the pilot to take care of because on the original aircraft he had not only to find the instruments, the engine and all that, but also he had all the bomb switches to hold the bombs. The newest of the three medium bombers, the Hampden was often referred to by aircrews as

3025-558: Was part of the trio of large twin-engine bombers procured for the RAF, joining the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Vickers Wellington . The Hampden was powered by Bristol Pegasus radial engines but a variant known as the Handley Page Hereford had in-line Napier Daggers . The Hampden served in the early stages of the Second World War , bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe , taking part in

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