- Nieuport & General Aircraft Co Ltd
Aircraft manufacturers
Location:
- Cricklewood, London
History:
- Nieuport & General Aircraft Co Ltd was established in Cricklewood, London, in 1916 by Sir Samuel Waring, owner of furniture manufacturer and retailer Waring & Gillow, to build French Nieuport fighters under license. A number of these were built for the Admiralty and War Office before switching production to Sopwith Camels and Sopwith Snipes as a contractor. In 1917, after an official inquiry into the activities of the Royal Aircraft Factory, its design teams were broken up and Henry Folland joined Nieuport & General Aircraft as chief designer. Folland designed a number of aircraft, including the Nighthawk fighter which went into production in 1918 and gave rise to some racing derivative types. The company sometimes adopted the style British Nieuport & General Aircraft Co Ltd which may have been a combine of Samuel Waring's three aircraft businesses: Nieuport & General Aircraft Co Ltd, British Aerial Transport and Alliance Aeroplane Co. Nieuport & General Aircraft Co Ltd ceased trading in 1920 and the assets and designs were sold to Gloster Aircraft Co a few months later. Folland was hired by the Gloster Aircraft Co Ltd in 1921 where he continued to develop the Nighthawk.
Principal and significant aircraft manufactured:
- BN1 (1918); Nieuhawk (1919); Nighthawk (1919); Goshawk (1920); London (1920).
Publications:
- Anon, ‘Nieuport Nighthawk', Air Pictorial, August & September 1963
Records:
Accounts journal 1916-28 [X002-5636].
CID: