Country of origin:

France

Description:

Two-seat training biplane

Power Plant:

One 60 kw (80 hp) Gnome rotary piston engine

Specifications:

Armament:

Some carried a small calibre machine-gun and on occasion hand-released light bombs

History:

In 1913 the brothers, Gaston and Rene Caudron, who lived in the Rue area of the Somme in France, designed and built a single-seat sesquiplane known as the Caudron G.II. Later in 1913 Lt Chanteloup looped a Caudron over Issy aerodrome near Paris. By the time World War I commenced in 1914, two variants of the Caudron were in production: the G.IIIA2 for military operations and the G.IIIE2 for pilot training.

The Caudron was used extensively by French reconnaissance units in the early months of the war, and it also saw service in the Balkans, in Russia, and in Mesopotamia. It was in the latter theatre in 1915 that the Half Flight of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) came to use the type. The Royal Naval Air Service operated the G.III in the training role, at least 124 machines being operated, mostly from Vendome in France.

A number of examples have been seen in this region. A couple were imported to New Zealand. One  G.III named ‘Blue Bird’ was flown on 29 January 1914 by J W H “Will” Scotland at Otaki, and a month later on 20 February that year it was flown from Invercargill to Gore, some 61 km (38 miles) in 40 minutes. On 6 March Mr Scotland flew from Timaru to Christchurch via Orara, a distance of 158 km (98 miles) and dropped the first air mail over Temuka. The G.III aircraft was shipped to Wellington but crashed on 25 March at Newtown Park, Wellington during a flying display. The aircraft’s wing structure is held by the Wellington Dominion Museum.

Mr Scotland ordered a replacement, which arrived on 24 September, this second machine eventually being taken over by the New Zealand Flying School and being converted to floatplane configuration, becoming known as a hydro-aeroplane. It was used by the school which was set up and run by the Walsh brothers. It was fitted with a 45 kw (60 hp) Le Rhone rotary engine and fitted with dual controls but was considered to be underpowered. After its crash some parts were used later in the construction of an aircraft known as the Walsh Flying Boat.

The Canterbury (NZ) Aviation Company, which was set up in 1917 to equip and run a flying school in the Canterbury area, operating from Sockburn, used a Caudron fitted with a 45 kw (60 hp) Anzani radial engine for pilot training. This school later went on to import further aircraft.

A replica of the aircraft flown by Will Scotland has been built by The Croydon Aircraft Company at Mandeville. A six-cylinder Anzani radial engine was obtained from Canada and has been used as the basis of an engine for the replica. Plans envisaged that the replica would fly on the 100th anniversary of the flight Scotland made with the air mail on 20 February 2014.

The Canterbury (NZ) Aviation Company at Sockburn, a suburb of Christchurch, imported a total of six G.IIIs, being single and two-seaters. The company then proceeded to build three copies for its own purposes. These were allotted airframe numbers 3, 5 and 9. The first (c/n 3) was a single-seat machine which made its first flight on 21 July 1917 and was powered by a 34 kw (45 hp) Anzani radial engine which had been obtained from the aircraft flown by J  W H Scotland. Whilst being piloted by a Mr H Morse it crashed on take-off at Sockburn on 7 October 1917.

The second machine (c/n 5) was built by Mr J G Mackie at Sockburn, had two seats, and was powered by a 45 kw (60 hp) engine. It first flew in October 1917 and was retired in 1920.

The third copy (c/n 9) was a single-seat machine fitted with a 34 kw (45 hp) Anzani radial engine and made its first flight in May 1918, surviving until retired in 1920.

Another machine was built by this company and became known as the Canterbury (NZ) Aviation Company Biplane. This differed to some extent from the G.III copies and has been dealt with elsewhere.

At the outbreak of World War I three examples were in Australia. One was a G.II with a 26 kw (35 hp) Anzani engine owned by Delfosse Badgery. In July 1914 Delfosse Badgery Aviation Company was formed in Sydney, NSW and ordered parts for the construction of six Caudrons; however, the war intervened and the parts were not delivered.

On 8 July 1914 Delfosse Badgery tested a Caudron fitted with a 34 kw (45 hp) Anzani engine, which he built at a property called ‘Newbury’ at Sutton Forest near Moss Vale, NSW. This was built from imported parts and some local timbers. Testing continued for some time and, on 12 August 1914, he flew the aircraft to Goulburn, NSW, a distance of 79 km (49 miles), attaining an altitude of 3,810 m (12,500 ft). This machine was shipped to Tasmania and became the first aeroplane to fly within that State on 12 September 1914 and received some publicity throughout that State at the time.

Delfosse Badgery was Australian agent for the Caudron and, in May 1915, the NSW Government purchased a Caudron from him for use as a prototype for the construction of six aircraft (referred to above), the Government having ordered six Anzani engines to be built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney Harbour for these aeroplanes.

A second G.II was owned and operated in Queensland by A W Jones of Warwick. Also fitted with a 26 kw (35 hp) Anzani engine, it was badly damaged during shipping and was repaired by Mr Jones and Mr W Brest. It was extensively ground tested and flown by Mr Jones on 30 May 1913. A further flight was made the following day with a local journalist as a passenger. Subsequently it made a tour of Queensland country centres. On 15 July 1913 it crashed at Newcastle, NSW. It was repaired and returned to Queensland. Later exhibition flights were made in Adelaide, SA.

In November 1915 a Caudron II was completed in Brisbane by the Queensland Volunteer Flying Civilians. It was a rebuild of the Jones aircraft under the supervision of Mr T MacLeod. It was used for training. Funds to complete the aeroplane were raised by Public Subscription in ‘The Brisbane Courier’ newspaper, the machine being named ‘Courier’. In July 1915 application was made for registration but this does not appear to have occurred.

On 15 September 1915 a G.III arrived from France in Sydney, for Mr W McConochie of Hurstville, NSW. This machine was flown by Mr J C Marduel, a Frenchman, and had a 60 kw (80 hp) Gnome rotary engine. It was later sold to the Australian Defence Department and became CFS-9 on 25 January 1916 at Point Cook, VIC. It was used for advanced flying training, with pupils carrying out cross-country solo flights. It was retired in late 1917.

Other engines fitted to the series included the 60 kw (80 hp) Le Rhone 9C rotary and the 67 kw (90 hp) Anzani radial.

Three Caudron G.IIIs were operated by the NSW Aviation School at Richmond, NSW but did not see much service as the school also had four Curtiss J-4 Jennys for training purposes. It seems these Caudrons were formerly aircraft operated by Delfosse Badgery. Two were fitted with the Gnome rotary engine, one of which was obtained in Melbourne, VIC. Another was fitted with an Anzani six-cylinder engine built at Walsh Island Dockyard on the Hunter River at Newcastle, and the fourth had no engine.

At least one replica of a Caudron G.III has been completed in Europe powered by an Australian-built Rotec radial engine.  One G.III serial 3066 has been placed on display at the RAF Museum at Hendon in Greater London.