Although this dissertation is concerned with the aircraft now in the Fighter Collection at Duxford, reference is made from time to time to Gladiator L.8032, which flies from the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden, as the histories of these two aircraft have converged at times. In a sense this relationship is now permanent, as the two will soon share the honour of being the only two flying examples in the world.

Design and Development

In the early 1930s H.P. Folland, Chief Designer of the Gloster Aircraft Company, carried out a re-appraisal of his earlier design, the Gauntlet, in order to clean up aerodynamic efficiency to give an improved performance. The resultant aircraft, carrying the Gloster Type no. S.S.37, was ready for test flying by September 1934. The fundamental differences between the S.S.37 and the Gauntlet were the change to single-bay wings, a low-drag cantilever main undercarriage unit with Dowty internally sprung wheels, and flaps on both upper and lower mainplanes. Whilst this Private Venture design exercise had been progressing, an important event had been happening. The Gloster Aircraft Company had joined forces in 1934 with Hawker Aircraft, so bringing an immediate strengthening of resources which was to be invaluable in the execution of the forthcoming Air Ministry orders.

Gloster Type S.S.37, subsequently named "Gladiator", was constructed at Gloster's plant at Hucclecote, Gloucester, also known as Brockworth. This confusion over address names came about because the boundary between two adjacent parishes actually crossed the airfield.

The prototype Gladiator passed to the Air Ministry at A. & A.E.E. Martlesham with R.A.F. No. K.5200, on 3 April 1935. Some changes were made during evaluation, the principal one being the addition of a sliding cockpit canopy. Extensive trials were carried out with differing reduction gears, and two and three bladed propellers, with the primary objective of achieving smoother running of the engine. Report M/666B/Int.2 of 10 September 1937 detailed these comparative tests. Basically, the reports were very satisfactory; but the Mk.II was already developing. During this period the new monoplane fighters were threatening to eliminate biplanes from the defence scene, but a combination of vacillation by diehard champions of the biplane at the Air Ministry, and the failure of the more or less mandatory Goshawk engine due to its heavy and complex steam-cooling system, was causing serious delays to the implementation of the fighter programme.

Political events, however, were not to be ignored. The availability of the new biplane fighter proved to be opportune, as it had become clear that there was an urgent need for R.A.F. expansion. In the short space of two weeks a production specification, F.14/35 was drawn up and agreed, immediately followed by the award of a contract for the production of twenty-three Gladiators Mk.I. A second batch of one hundred and eighty was ordered in September, 1935. So the defence gap was filled by an aircraft whose conception was already obsolescent.

N.5903 in Service

Initially, significant numbers of Gladiators were lost in flying accidents during operational training. The difficulties arose from an increased wing loading, combined with the lack of experience in landing with generous top and bottom flap area. Moreover, recovery from flat spins had proved to be almost impossible. Subsequently, it became clear that Gladiator-trained pilots had a significantly lower accident rate, when converted to Hurricanes and Spitfires, than did pilots who had not flown Gladiators. As a result of the accidental losses a small replacement batch of Gladiators Mk.I was ordered. The "Shuttleworth Gladiator" L.8032 was the last of this batch. It was retained in storage with six others at No.27 M.U. (Maintenance Unit), and none of these seven ever emerged for active service. Eventually, L.8032 was struck off R.A.F. charge in 1945 or 1946 and was sold back to the Gloster Aircraft Company.

Attention is now turned to Gladiator N.5903. Further serious delays were being experienced in the production of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines for the Spitfire and Hurricane. A decision had been taken in the 1930s to adopt a ramped head to the Merlin combustion chamber. In testing, this did not give the anticipated performance and, worse, suffered from cracking both during manufacture and when running. Although initial production had been committed a decision now had to be made to redesign the block and head. (Ref. "The Merlin in Perspective". Alec Harvey-Bailey. Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust.)

Due to these delays, and to cover the unknown length of time involved, the Air Ministry decided to place an order under Specification F.36/37, for the production of three hundred Gladiators Mk.II to fill the gap, and these were built during 1938 and 1939. N.5903 was in the last twenty-five of this order under Contract No. 773235/38, and was fitted with a Bristol Mercury VIII A engine, no.124498. N.5903 is believed to have seen service in 1939 for a few months at Grangemouth, with the newly re-formed No.141 (Fighter) Squadron, as second line equipment to work up the Squadron to operational status. No.141 Squadron was moved up into the R.A.F. First Line Order of Battle on 3 June 1940, when it was equipped with Bolton-Paul Defiants not Gladiators. From there N.5903 was allotted to the Air Ministry Development Pool (A.M.D.P.) on 12 December 1939 under Authority 1887, where she replaced Mk.I No.K.8049 for trials. It is believed that she was put in store with 27 Maintenance Unit (M.U.) from May 1940 until 23 October 1943; with 8 M.U. until 11 November 1943, then 61 O.T.U. until 28 January 1944.

During 1941 the last operational Gladiators with the R.A.F. were withdrawn. However, several were modified for meteorological duties after that time, and N.5903 and L.8032 both returned to Glosters at Hucclecote in 1944 for conversion to met. duties. Shortly afterwards these duties were taken over by other types, and the conversion work was never commenced. The two Gladiators were left standing idle at the works. The following description is quoted from the G.A.C. house magazine "PINION" Vol.I, No.4, produced Summer 1956:-

"One stood, quietly gathering dust, in the spraying Department, while the other was locked away in the darkest corner of the Communications Flight Hanger near No.3 Factory".

It is known that N.5903 was flown four times in February 1946 by R.P. Beamont at Brockworth so it seems likely that this was the aircraft which was in the hanger referred to. Both Gladiators were handed over to the Air Service Training Ltd. in 1950, N.5903 going to Ansty near Leicester, and L.8032 to Hamble. When A.S.T. closed its Ansty school both Gladiators were kept at Hamble, where once again they stood idle for some time. (Some records show that A.S.T. received the Gladiators in 1948 but 1950 is stated quite clearly in the same issue of "Pinion" Vol.I. No.4).

In 1951 Mr. V.H. Bellamy, a one-time Fleet Air Arm pilot who had flown Gladiators during the war, saw these aircraft whilst on a visit to Hamble. At the time Bellamy was operating an air charter company named "Flightway" at nearby Eastleigh Aerodrome. The sight of the forlorn Gladiators resurrected his enthusiasm for them, and he successfully bid to purchase both of them - for the princely sum of £1. It could now be said that any resemblance to a service career was finally over.

Private Life

Viv Bellamy moved his new purchases to his own establishment at Eastleigh where, assisted by two of his ground engineers, he set about the task of creating one airworthy machine from components of the two; N.5903 drew the short straw, and was sacrificed for L.8032 whenever necessary. The engine in L.8032 was in a bad state, but N.5903 had flown only eight hours since a new engine had been installed. During the work of rebuilding, technical assistance was provided by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, who checked over the engine and gave it a partial overhaul, and from Dowty Equipment who serviced and replaced a number of hydraulic system components. Gloster Aircraft Company supplied the necessary drawings.

Mr Basil Fielding, Senior Foreman Inspector at Moreton Valence carried out a complete inspection of L.8032, and certified it as airworthy. From then on, in 1952 and early 1953, Mr Bellamy and his now civilian-registered Gladiator G-AMRK took part in flying displays in the South of England. In the August however, he decided for reasons unknown to part with her and Glosters agreed to purchase it back for a reported sum of £200, taking possession on 20 August 1953. L.8032 as G-AMRK continued to entertain the public at the Battle of Britain and other displays throughout the country, and it is known that she was still doing so in Gloster's hands in the Summer of 1956.

Nothing is known of the story of N.5903 during this period, but it has been established that Gloster's presented L.8032 to the Shuttleworth Trust in 1960, as a flying aircraft. It seems reasonable to assume that N.5903 accompanied her in both changes of ownership, as a source of spare parts. It has been learned from a long-standing employee at Shuttleworth that N.5903 was loaned by them to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton, in about 1971. It is recalled that she was minus engine, propeller, spinner and probably flaps. Whilst at Yeovilton the aircraft was presented in static condition as a Sea Gladiator, with a dummy hook attached at the underside rear fuselage, wooden flaps, a glass fibre spinner. An engine (perhaps minus internals) was found, and the exhibit was painted in F.A.A. colours, and maintained by volunteers led by Mr. David Morris, Chief Engineer.

In November 1990, the Shuttleworth Gladiator was ground looped, and the port stub axle was bent out of alignment by one and a half degrees. Engineers exchanged the damaged axle for one on N.5903.

In 1994, Gladiator Mk.II N.5903 was purchased from the Shuttleworth Collection by the Fighter Collection, with the intention of restoring it to flying condition. She was transported by road from Yeovilton to Duxford on 1 December 1994. So a new era is beginning for one of the two last remaining flying examples of the last British biplane fighter. The Gladiator stands alongside the Italian Fiat CR.42, and the Russian Polikarpov I-153 in being the last fighter biplanes to see combat.

Acknowledgements and Bibliography

Sincere thanks are due to the following organisations for providing information or confirmation of facts presented in this dissertation:-

• Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden
• The Gloucestershire Aviation Collection, Brockworth
• Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton
• The Librarian, Royal Air Force Museum.
• The following books and articles have been referred to:-
• "The British Fighter Since 1912" by Peter Lewis. Published by Putnam, London
• "The Merlin in Perspective" by Alec Harvey - Bailey © 1981. Published in 1983 by Rolls Royce Heritage Trust Derby
• "World Aircraft - World War II - Part I" by Enzo Angelucci and Paolo Matricardi Published by Sampson Low Maidenhead
• "The Gloster Gladiator" Profile Publications No.98 © Francis K. Mason 1966 and © Profile Publications Ltd.Leatherhead
• "Air Enthusiast" Vol.4, No.3, March 1973.
• "Pinion" Gloster Aircraft Company House Magazine Vol.I, No 4, Summer 1956.