HP42 G-AAXD 'Horatius' takes on mail before departing from Croydon, c 1931.

Handley Page departing from Croydon Airport, Greater London. The Handley Page HP42 was the most famous Imperial Airways airliner of the period. It first flew in at Radlett in 1930 and entered service in June 1931. The eight aircraft served until 1941 in different versions over routes to Australasia and Africa. It was powered by four Bristol Jupiter engines and carried 24 pasengers and four crew at about 100mph.