BRISTOL BLENHEIM MK.IFL6739

Bristol Blenheim Mk.IF L6739 (G-BPIV) is the world’s only flying example of over 4,400 of this historic type built. In 1934 the owner of the Daily Mail, Lord Rothermere, challenged British aircraft manufacturers to design and build a small, high-speed aircraft which could accommodate two crew and six passengers - with the hope of it becoming the world’s fastest civilian aircraft. Frank Barnwell and Roy Fedden of the Bristol Aeroplane Company responded to this challenge with the Type 142 which first flew the following year. It quickly became clear that this eight-seat, twin-engined aeroplane was faster than any fighter in the Royal Air Force inventory at the time - which unsurprisingly caught the attention of the Air Ministry. They quickly ordered an initial batch of 150 of the type, accordingly modified to meet a light bomber specification, the first example of which made its maiden flight from Bristol’s Filton works in June 1936. The Blenheim became the mainstay of the RAF’s bomber force in the early days of war, with Winston Churchill comparing their crews to the ‘Charge of the Light Brigade.’ The type is unique in the RAF’s history, having served in every theatre of WWII whilst performing a wide variety of roles.