Warplanes of the UK: Handley Page Hampden

Handley Page Hampden

The aim of this website is to locate, identify and document Warplanes from the Second World War preserved in the United Kingdom.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these aircraft to provide and update the data on this website.  Photos are by the author unless otherwise credited.  Any errors found here are by the author, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Warplane Survivors of the Second World War in the United Kingdom would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.

Warplanes of the Second World War preserved in the UK, including captured German and Japanese warplanes, are listed on separate pages on this web site.

(SDA&SM Photo)

The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden is a British twin-engine medium bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It 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 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 By 1943, the rest of the trio were being superseded by the larger four-engined heavy bombers such as the Avro Lancaster. (Wikipedia)

(RAF Photo)

Handley Page Hampden bombload, 1940.

Survivor:

Handley Page Hampden Mk. I (Serial No. P1344).  This Hampden was recovered from a crash-site in Russia in 1991 and is being reconstructed at the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire. During the Second World War, it served with No. 144 Squadron RAF, part of Coastal Command.  In September 1942, the squadron was transferred to the Kola Peninsula in northern Russia to help protect the Arctic convoys.  While in transit over Finland, P1344 accidentally flew close by a German airfield and was shot down by two scrambled Messerschmitt Bf 109s.  It crashed in a wooded area of the Kola Peninsula, three crew members were killed and two taken prisoner.  After its recovery by another party, the RAF Museum gained ownership of the aircraft in 1992.  An update in October 2020 stated that "aircraft now has all four fuselage components fully assembled, attached and painted in its original 144 Squadron colour scheme and serial number". It was expected to be moved to the RAF Museum London.

‍