The Handley Page Hampden Bomber P1344 (PL-K), currently undergoing
conservation at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford will be subject of a
lecture taking place on Tuesday 5 September 2017. The lecture will be
presented by the Museums Conservation Centre Manager who has personal
experience working to restore the aircraft and with former crew and family
members. The evening lecture will include details of the dramatic story
behind its final flight, which took place exactly 75 years earlier, plus a
behind the scenes look at how the aircraft looks today!
The RAF Museum Cosford will be holding a lecture examining the aircrafts
known history, its final flight and what happened to the crew who survived
the crash landing. The talk will be held in the Museums National Cold War
Exhibition lecture theatre, commencing at 7.00pm and tickets are limited to
just 200 visitors. Special guests will include relatives of the Hampden
crew members, who, over the years have visited the Museum to view progress
and to share information.
Following the lecture, attendees will be invited to the Conservation Centre
to get up close to the aircraft, currently being restored. This exclusive
after-hours access to the aircraft, in an area which is not usually open to
the public, will give those attending the lecture the chance to speak
directly with the team working on it.
RAF Museum Conservation Centre Manager, Darren Priday said:
The Hampden was my first project when I started with the Museum back in
2005 and thats where my interest started in the aircraft. Compared to
other Bomber Command aircraft it is not a very well-known one but it
certainly played an important role during the Second World War. My talk is
a chance for the audience to learn more about the type and the brave young
men who flew them followed by a visit to view the restoration at the
Conservation Centre, on the 75th anniversary of its last flight.
The Hampden is one of the Museums longest running conservation projects,
which has progressed considerably over the last year. As one of only three
examples of the type remaining, the significance of this project is huge.
Work carried out onsite at Cosford has included manufacturing a forward
fuselage and the aircraft tailplane, incorporating some existing fixtures
and fittings from the original aircraft which suffered severe damage during
its crash landing. Over the coming months work will progress on restoring
and re-building the tailboom and once that work is complete, there will be a
complete fuselage.
Places at the lecture cost £7.50 per person and parking on the night is free
of charge. Tickets for the lecture are now on sale via the Museums website
www.rafmuseum.org/cosford<http://www.rafmuseum.org/cosford>.
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