Photographer: Stuart H. Bourne
Location: Old Warden Aerodrome, UK
Aircraft: Gloster Gladiator Mk I
Registration: G-AMRK
Alternate Serial: K8032
Construction Number: L8032
Livery: RAF display scheme – taxiing on grass
This striking image by aviation photographer Stuart H. Bourne captures Gloster Gladiator Mk I G-AMRK in RAF livery, taxiing across the grass at Old Warden. Built in 1937 as construction number L8032, this aircraft was the final production Gladiator Mk I and served as an instructional airframe before being restored to flight.
Registered as G-AMRK in 1952, it has flown under multiple identities including K8032 and N2308/HP-B for film and display roles. Today, it is maintained in airworthy condition by the Shuttleworth Collection, where it continues to fly at vintage airshows, preserving the legacy of Britain’s last front-line biplane fighter.
The Gladiator marked the end of an era in RAF design—an agile, enclosed-cockpit biplane that saw combat in Norway, Malta, and North Africa. This image offers a rare glimpse of a living warbird in motion, ideal for collectors and historians seeking authentic documentation of pre-war British aviation.
