Producing the Hermes propliner was a bold move by Handley Page in war-torn 1940s Britain, but this important aircraft has largely been overlooked by the history books. Stephen Skinner gives an overview of a type that was ahead of its time.
As early as 1942 Sir Frederick Handley Page, founder of Handley Page at Radlett in Hertfordshire, was considering a transport version of the company’s Halifax bomber. Despite lacking official support, the design evolved by April 1944 to become the HP.67 Hastings with the new circular fuselage, a lengthened version of the Halifax’s wing and a single fin. At the same time the Air Ministry issued a specification for a new transport which very closely matched the HP.67 and Handley Page received a contract to build it for the RAF.
A civilian counterpart, the HP.68 Hermes based on the same design became an obvious companion for the firm. Work started on two Hermes prototypes in February 1945, the first, G-AGSS to be a flying shell but the second, G-AGUB would be a fully equipped airliner.
The Hermes’ wing span was 113ft (34.4m) and the first prototype’s length was 81ft 6in (24.9m). It was powered by four Bristol Hercules 100 engines. The maximum fuel capacity was 2,570 ga…
