Corgi AA36202 Gloster Gladiator Mk I Diecast Model RNFAA No.804 NAS, 1940

Corgi AA36202 Gloster Gladiator Mk I RNFAA No.804 NAS, 1940

The Gloster Gladiator was the last biplane fighter used by the British armed forces. It was developed from the Gauntlet and had a closed cockpit for a single occupant, cantilever landing gear, and increased armament, with a 2-blade fixed-pitch propeller. The Gladiator had its first flight in 1935, and was in service with the RAF from 1936. The Mark I version had an 840 hp Bristol Mercury IX air-cooled engine, while the Mark II had a Bristol Mercury VIIIA engine. The Sea Gladiator was a variant used by the Fleet Air Arm, and was equipped with a deck arrestor, catapult points, and carried a collapsible dinghy. A minimum of 756 Gladiators were built, including 60 RN and 216 exported to 13 other countries, such as Belgium, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, China, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Egypt, and South Africa. 

In November 1939, 804 Naval Air Squadron was formed from 769 Squadron Sea Gladiators, which were sent to Hatston to defend against enemy attacks on Scapa. The squadron was then deployed on HMS Glorious in April 1940 to provide fighter patrols during ferrying operations of 269 Squadron RAF Gladiators to Norway. It was later transferred to HMS Furious at Cambeltown in early May 1940. From May to September 1940, 804 Squadron operated in defense of Scapa Flow, and was later recognized as one of only two FAA squadrons to operate with RAF Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain.

The Gloster Gladiator Mk I was designed as an improvement over the Gauntlet and had its first flight on September 12th, 1934. It was a British-built biplane fighter used by the Royal Air Force and Navy, and was also exported to other air forces. Despite often being outmatched by more advanced modern aircraft, the Gladiator became famous during the early war years in the hands of skilled pilots. Sea Gladiators were particularly successful as carrier-based aircraft because their slower speed made them suitable for carrier operations, and they were less likely to face modern fighter opposition.