Bessonneau

Bessonneau is a portable timber-and-canvas aircraft hangar associated with early 20th-century aviation operations, naval aviation bases, and expeditionary aircraft deployment. Widely used by the Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Flying Corps, French Navy, and United States Navy during the First World War and interwar period, these hangars enabled rapid establishment of airfield facilities for seaplane squadrons, fighter units, and reconnaissance flights. The design influenced later wartime logistics for airship sheds, Royal Air Force depots, and expeditionary infrastructure.

History

Developed in France in the early 1900s, the hangar emerged amid rapid expansion of aviation following pioneers such as Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, Louis Blériot, and Henri Farman. The Bessonneau hangar was adopted by the Aéronautique Militaire and later by allied services during the First World War when commanders from Admiral Jellicoe-era navies and staff officers in the War Office required mobile support structures for Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps detachments. Procurement records align with transfers to units operating from coastal stations near Dover, Le Havre, Calais, and forward bases supporting the Battle of the Somme and Third Battle of Ypres. Postwar allocations placed examples in collections associated with the Imperial War Museum, Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, and municipal heritage projects in Bristol, York, and Rennes.

Design and Construction

The structure combined timber framing, galvanized metal fittings, and canvas covering in a modular kit suitable for transport by railway wagons or horse teams to forward aerodromes. Engineers influenced by Gustave Eiffel-style metalwork and timber truss practice formalized the geometry, drawing upon standards used in dockyard and naval construction at yards such as Portsmouth Dockyard and Cherbourg. Frames used pegged mortise-and-tenon joinery with wrought-iron straps similar to components in contemporary hangar prototypes at Brooklands and Farnborough. Canvas was treated with linseed oil and later with chemical preservatives analogous to coatings used in Marconi Company wireless masts and Royal Navy canvas tents. Assembly manuals produced for logistics officers referenced unloading at sidings on lines operated by Great Western Railway, North Eastern Railway, and the Chemins de fer de l'État.

Types and Variants

Variants reflect adaptations for seaplane operations, coastal observation, and expeditionary warfare. Early models paralleled designs used at Airco and Sopwith flight sheds, while reinforced versions accommodated heavier fighter types such as Sopwith Camel and SE5a. Larger-span types were deployed for blimp and non-rigid airship support at bases influenced by practices at Cardington and Howden. Navalized variants included removable flooring and drainage systems for saltwater exposure like those installed at RNAS Calshot and HMS Daedalus. Postwar modifications appeared in civilian aerodromes operated by entities such as the Royal Aero Club and manufacturers including De Havilland and Handley Page.

Operational Use

Field units from the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, United States Army Air Service, and Aéronautique Militaire used the hangars for aircraft storage, maintenance, and camouflage against aerial reconnaissance by Luftstreitkräfte units. Rapid erection techniques allowed squadron-level detachments to reestablish basing after advances seen during the Hundred Days Offensive and in coastal defense responses to Zeppelin raids. Logistics officers from organizations such as the Air Ministry and the Ministry of Munitions integrated Bessonneau kits into depot inventories, coordinating transport with railway companies and naval auxiliary craft. Training units at RFC training schools and interwar air shows employed the shelters alongside permanent hangars at Croydon Airport, Shoreham, and Le Bourget.

Preservation and Surviving Examples

Surviving examples are scarce but documented in collections maintained by institutions including the Imperial War Museum, Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Fleet Air Arm Museum, and regional archives in Normandy and Somme. Conservation projects often involve timber specialists familiar with restoration work at sites like Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and curators from the National Trust or municipal authorities in Bristol and Yorkshire Dales. Replicas and working reconstructions have been produced for living history events associated with First World War centenary commemorations and air shows coordinated by organizations such as the Royal Air Force Museum and local heritage railway societies.

Category:Aircraft hangars Category:Military equipment of World War I