Caudron G.III 3871 near Lealholm.
At 19.00hrs on 14th July 1915 this aeroplane took off from Scarborough to be flown on a patrol and also for the pilot to undertake a practice landing at dusk. While flying over
Lealholm at 4,000 feet the engine began to fail so the pilot descended and landed on moorland at 21.00hrs. The aircraft was undamaged but the pilot left it until the following day, when
mechanics arrived from Scarborough who made the aeroplane flyable, and then took off from fly back to Scarborough.
Pilot - Flt Cdr Arthur Lorne Nickerson RNAS.
The flight back to Scarborough in the morning of 15th July 1915 did not go well, the engine was running badly all the way. As it approached Scarborough the engine failed so the pilot attempted
another forced landing, around a mile north east of the aerodrome, in field of standing barley crop. The plants caused the aircraft to stop and overturn, the aircraft was damaged and the pilot was
slightly injured.
Arthur Lorne Nickerson was born on 30th August 1882 at Southsea. He learnt to fly at the Bristol School at Brooklands in the Summer of 1914 and gained his Aviators' Certificate there on 22nd
August 1914 (Cert.No.877). As F/Lt he was elected to the committee of the Royal Aero Club of the UK in November 1914. He survived the First World War and later became Secretary to the Liverpool
and District Aero Club at Hooton Park Aerodrome, Cheshire.
Caudron G.III 3871 was built by Aeroplanes Caudron at Lyon and was purchased from the French though no contract number exists. It was delivered to R.N.A.S. Scarborough by 4th July 1915, almost
certainly serving with the Home Defence Flight. It was damaged at Scarborough on 15th July 1915. It was dismantled on site and the remains were packed on 25th July 1915 to be dispatched to the
British Caudron Repair Company arriving on 5th August 1915. Repair was swift because it was back in service on 19th August 1915 at RNAS Redcar. It made a forced landing on 18th October 1916 at an
unspecified location and was repaired on site, flying back to Redcar on 19th October 1916. The aircraft was deleted from RNAS records on 31st January 1917.