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IMAGES OF AVIATION SERIES
HANDLEY PAGE
Compiled by Alan Dowsett
In June 1909 Handley Page Ltd, the first limited liability company to manufacture aeroplanes, was formed. Founded by Frederick Handley Page, the company grew from small beginnings to being one of the major manufacturers in Britain. the company was based in Cricklewood but moved its flying activities to Radlett in Hertfordshire as a result of the closure of Cricklewood Aerodrome. Handley Page also owned a site at Woodley in Berkshire.
The company left its mark on the world of aviation and became synonymous with large aircraft. From the O/400 bombers of the First World War to the Halifax four-engined bomber of the Second and beyond, the RAF has never been without a Handley Page design. Post-war, the Hermes airliner, Victor and Jetstream have also served both civilian and military uses.
Sadly, in 1969, Handley Page Ltd went into receivership and the factory closed its doors for the last time. However, its finest design, the H.P.80 Victor, remained in RAF service until 1993 and was the last of Britain's V-bomber force to still pay an active part in the defence of the United Kingdom.
Handley Page covers the highlights of this company's aeronautical achievements, with its many triumphs and a few of the tragedies that always come with progress at the forefront of technology.
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