Handley Page Aircraft Books - History, Types and Construction

Handley Page - Forty Years on 1909-1949

Handley Page began manufacturing aeroplanes in a small factory in Barking, Essex in 1909. Handley Page Limited was founded by Frederick Handley Page (later Sir Frederick) as the United Kingdom's first publicly traded aircraft manufacturing company.
Sir Frederick declined to allow his company to be merged into the two large 'forced marriages' of aircraft manufacturing companies in the 1960s. It failed to survive alone, and went into voluntary liquidation and ceased to exist in 1970.

During the First World War Handley Page produced a series of heavy bombers for the Royal Navy to bomb the German Zeppelin yards, with the ultimate intent of bombing Berlin in revenge for the Zeppelin attacks on London. Handley Page had been asked by the Admiralty to produce a "bloody paralyser of an aeroplane".
These aircraft included the O/100 of 1915, the O/400 of 1918 and the four-engined V/1500 with the range to reach Berlin. The V/1500 only just reached operational service as the war ended in 1918.

The real success of the Company came during the Second World War with the magnificent and robust Halifax bomber. In all, more than 6,000 of them were produced, or more than 40 per cent of Britain's total heavy-bomber power. In the bombing operations alone, approximately 76,000 sorties were flown and nearly a quarter of a million tons of bombs were dropped on to enemy targets. Bomber Command had no less than seventy-six Halifax squadrons in action at the time of its peak strength.

This is the first modern edition of what was originally the 1949 Handley Page corporate marketing book.

Handley Page Aircraft Advertisements 1909 - 1970

This compilation of British aviation industry advertisements comprises the listings for Handley Page aircraft (including ADC Aircraft) from 1909 to 1970.

It is one of a series of compilations providing a unique source of reference for researchers, enthusiasts and anyone interested in the timelines of British aviation industry companies.
The advertisement images are reproduced at one per page and without any accompanying narrative. Each item includes the source title and original date of publication.

Bloody Paralyser : The Giant Handley Page Bombers of the First World War

In 1915, the biggest plane ever seen in Britain took flight for the first time, a twin-engine monster with a 100-foot wingspan, designed to be a 'Bloody Paralyser' to the Germans.

This book tells the story of the largest British bomber of the First World War and the men who flew them. Operating mainly at night, the Handley Page bombers attacked German and German-occupied towns and cities, disrupting the enemy's industry and crippling its war effort.
The men that flew in the 'Bloody Paralysers' were the forerunners of the crews of Bomber Command in the Second World War and now their story is told in their own words. The book contains a wealth of unpublished material and photographs documenting these mighty bombers.