Maisonart
Gallery and Studio of John Wiseman
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Handley Page Halifax B MK III.


This model represents one of the most famous of the Halifax bombers. Named “Friday the 13th” by its crew, in defiance of  bad luck, the aircraft also displayed other illustrations, all omens of ill fortune. As it turned out, this Halifax survived an astounding 128 missions, a lofty achievement not often seen in the ranks of the heavy bomber class. At the end of hostilities ''Friday the 13th'' was temporarily put on display in London, but like all the other Halifax bombers that survived the war, it was soon sent to the scrap yard as salvage. Canada presently has the only fully restored Halifax. This aircraft was exhumed after having been at the bottom of Lake Mjosa in Norway where it came to rest after being hit by heavy flak guns on April 23, 1945, only a couple weeks before the end of the war.

Halifax