Handley Page Hampden and Vickers Armstrong Wellington Cut Away drawings

A fine matched pair of drawings showing the various design features of these two classic RAF aircraft, that formed the backbone of Bomber Command in the early stages of WWII. Both images are mounted on card and whilst not dated we believe they could well be period drawings. The Hampden shows minor foxing and age related marks but both remain in good display condition.

What makes them particularly interesting is we were told when purchased back in 2008 they came from the personal collection of Captain Gladstone Adams who was born in 1880 and became both an inventor and well know photographer. In 1914, aged 34, he volunteered to serve in WWI and because of his photographic skills, he joined the Royal Flying Corps as a reconnaissance photographer with the 15th Wing in France. In April 1918 he was stationed at the front, close to where the German flying ace, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, was shot down and killed. Adams was given the unenviable task of photographing the deceased pilot to prove that 'The Red Baron' had really been killed. He was then involved in the preparations for the pilot's burial, with full military honours. In WWII Gladstone was approaching 60 but he nevertheless served as Flight Lieutenant with the 1156 Air Training Corps in Whitley Bay. Post war he lived in Whitley Bay and was one of the longest serving Northumberland County Councillors. Captain Gladstone Adams died, after a very eventful life in 1966. The prints each measure 8" x 6" (20 cm x 15 cm) and come from my personal collection and ideally would benefit from mounting and framing, but we will leave that to the next custodian.