Handley Page Drawings

Hi all,

Yesterday evening I had a very pleasant telephone conversation with Harry Fraser Mitchell of the Handley Page Association regarding the surviving drawings (Halifax ones in my case of course) in the care of the IWM.

As I was curious I wondered what happened to prevent the drawings to be burned as was ordered initially. Well, in february 1970 when the receivers came in and instructions were given to burn the archives, a lot of people suddenly took action and during the day and evening an enormous amount of drawings were taken away and they finally ended up with the IWM at Duxford (Ashley, can you confirm this?).

When asked he told me that drawings for the following aircraft are still surviving:

0/400 and V/1500 bombers, the early types in the twenties, very little of the HP42 (as you know) some Heyford, Harrow and Hampden drawings, a large amount of Halifax drawings, very little of the Hastings suprisingly and no Victor drawings. But there is a complete set of those extant formerly with the Air Ministry. So by quick action some very important drawings were saved. Pity that couldn’t be said about the Stirling drawings.

Cheers

Cees