The story
Founded by Frères Caudron in 1909.1
Born in Favières, Somme to parents who farmed nearby in Romiotte, the Caudron brothers were educated at a college in Abbeville. Gaston, as Alphonse was always known, intended to become an engineer but his education was cut short by health problems; René was interested in the development of mechanics and was a sportsman. After military service in an artillery regiment, they returned to work on the farm.
They began to build their first aircraft, a large biplane, in August 1908. Initially unable to obtain an engine, they flew it as a glider, towed by a horse, and tested it through the summer. In September 1909, they finally flew it under power. By April 1910, they were able to make a return flight of 10 km (6 mi) to Forest-Montiers.
Gaston Caudron died in an aircraft accident on 12 December 1915 at the airfield at Bron. René continued in the aircraft business until the fall of France in June 1940 during World War II. He died in 1959.
From Wikipedia’s article on Caudron, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3