Built in 1915, this Nieuport 12 was a gift to Canada from the Government of France. Transported from France to Halifax by steamship in February 1917, the War Trophies Board exhibited the aircraft across North America as a war relic, to raise public support for the war effort. This Nieuport was the first aircraft that the Canadian government retained for its historical significance, and is one of only two known to exist worldwide. It was transferred to the Canadian War Museum in the 1930s and to this Museum in 1965. In the 1990s, the Museum restored it to appear as it would have done in 1917.

The serial is 9233, not N9233 as it appears to be in the photo. N9233 was a post-war Fairey III while the 50 Beardmore-built Nieuport 12s were delivered when the RNAS was still using numerical serials. Obsolete by the time they arrived, Beardmore aircraft were used mainly as trainers. Photo from: Library and Archives Canada