HANDLEY PAGE HAMPDEN TYPE VII 5D/1065 BOMB RELEASE TIMER DISTRIBUTOR PANEL

Mounted high up on the starboard wall of the Handley Page Hampden Bomb Aimer's station was the Air Bomber's Panel which comprised three primary instruments which enabled the bomb aimer to pre-select not only the sequence of which ordinance to drop, but also their timing delay and grouping whilst still maintaining the critical flight balance of the aircraft.

Along with the Vickers Wellington and Armstrong Whitley, the Handley Page Hampden bore the brunt of Britain’s response to German aggression during the opening months of the War and it was the Hampden's streamlined fuselage, fast speed and manoeuvrability that Bomber Command were relying to be their primary fighter/bomber.

In many ways their expectations were not unreasonable as the RAF pilots initially praised its agility after discovering that they could throw it around the sky like a single engine fighter.

It also featured excellent visibility with the pilot perched high in the cockpit enabling tight turns and steep climbs to be executed with relative ease.

Unfortunately, combat conditions were to rudely shake their confidence in the Hamden’s ability to go toe to toe with many of the new generation German fighters such as the Bf 109 and twin-engined 110.

With no power-operated machine gun turrets and low calibre fixed forward guns, even the three flexible gun mountings in the nose and fuselage with their limited traverse ability, the aircraft was extremely vulnerable to enemy fighters.

The Hamden's early daylight bombing campaigns were disastrous with unacceptable losses encountered right from their first mission and they were quickly transferred to night operations with far greater success.

In mid 1942, a number of Hampdens were converted to torpedo and mine laying bombers and continued in service with Coastal Command where their manoeverabilty and speed made them ideal for harassing surface vessels and mining enemy harbours.

In its original bomber configuration, the Hampden could carry up to a 1,800 kg bomb load which could include 14kg incendiary bomblets (carried in the Small Bomb Container SBC) together with 230 kg and 450kg general purpose High Explosive (GP/HE) bombs. In its later Coastal Command maritime reconnaissance role, the Hampden could carry a single Mk XII torpedo in an open bomb bay and a 500-pound (230 kg) bomb under each wing). 

Whilst the Hampden (in its original bomber role) was fitted with the Mark IX bomb sight and later, the more advanced and stabilised computer-controlled Mk XIV Bomb sights - which assisted the bomb aimer in accurately marking the target, he still had some extensive and time-consuming work to do in preparing the release of the Hampden's bomb load. He did this on his Air Bomber's Control Panel which consisted of three separate Control Units.



The first of these Control Units, was a 16 Switch, Connell Bomb Pre-selector Unit which allowed the bomb aimer to preselect which bombs to release (shown here on tthe right).

The 16 switches related to 16 stowage points in the aircraft’s bomb bay and the bomb aimer used it to select which bombs or combination of bombs would be released over the target and which bombs might be retained for another attack on a secondary target. 

The unit also featured a Master Safety Jettison Handle with its chain-mounted, metal Safety Cover. When removed, the bomb aimer could jettison the entire bomb load in an emergency such as prior to a crash landing, aircraft fire or fighter attack. The pilot also had a Jettison Switch and Pull Handle mounted on his main flying panel.

To its right, was mounted the Type VII 5D/1065 Bomb Release Timer Distributor Unit, which the bomb aimer would use to pre-set the timing interval and order of the ordinance to be dropped. This was particularly useful if the Hampden was attacking a long, spread out target such as a railway terminus, bridge or transport hub and needed to drop its bombs in a 'stick' formation along the target. 

The metal pointers in the middle of the unit were rotated to preset any of the possible 32 bomb combinations whilst the small, silver rotary dial below was used to set the timing interval. A small bulb, behind a swivelling coloured/clear window would then indicate their activation.

The Type VII 5D/1065 Bomb Release Timer Distributor was mounted to the Bomb Aimer's master panel by two knurled pins on either side of the carrying handle. These enabled the unit to be removed from the aircraft after the mission and be reset for the next. A reinforced, padded timber box was used to carry the unit to and from the aircraft.

To the rear of the Timer Distributor was mounted the Bomb Dropping Selector Box (shown here on the left), which was used to ensure the bombs were dropped in the correct order to maintain the critical trim of the aircraft during flight. 

This Air Ministry stamped Type VII 5D/1065 Bomb Release Timer Distributor is an original WWII veteran Bomber Command Unit. 

Mounted in its 100 yr old mango wood display stand with engraved plaque and highly detailed, custom built 1/72, or super detailed 1/48 scale model of this iconic aircraft perched above on its removable magnetic arm, this original Recovery Curios WWII aviation collectable also comes with a full colour, laminated Fact Sheet featuring photos of the instrument in situ with details on its operation and the aircraft’s history.

As an added bonus, this Type VII 5D/1065 Bomb Release Timer Distributor also comes with its original padded wooden transport box.

What an incredible and memorable gift for the aviation enthusiast in your life!

This Handley Page Hampden Instrument comes complete with detailed Scale Model, Mango Wood Stand & Plaque plus Printed Fact Sheet featuring photo of instrument in aircraft cockpit.

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