Frederick Stanley Gordon

Frederick Stanley Gordon
Nickname(s)	"Freddie"
Born	(1897-10-29)29 October 1897 Auckland, New Zealand
Died	27 July 1985(1985-07-27) (aged 87) Cromwell, New Zealand
Allegiance	New Zealand
Service / branch	New Zealand Expeditionary Force Royal Air Force Royal New Zealand Air Force
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	No. 74 Squadron RAF
Battles / wars	First World War
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross Croix de guerre (Belgium)

Frederick Stanley Gordon, DFC (29 October 1897 – 27 July 1985) was a New Zealand flying ace of the First World War. While serving in Britain's Royal Air Force, he scored nine aerial victories as a fighter pilot.

Early life

Frederick Stanley Gordon was born in New Zealand on 29 October 1897.

First World War

Gordon served in the Royal Air Force. By mid-1918, he was assigned to No. 74 Squadron as a fighter pilot. He began a nine victory winning streak on 2 August 1918 that was capped with his second ballon busting mission on 30 October. Gordon was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 3 June 1919, and the Belgian Croix de guerre on 15 July.

List of aerial victories

No.	Date/time	Aircraft	Foe	Result	Location	Notes
1	2 August 1918 @ 0930 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a serial number D3438	LVG reconnaissance plane	Captured	Dickebusch	Victory shared with George Gauld
2	16 August 1918 @ 0830 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3438	Fokker D.VII	Destroyed	Messines
3	16 August 1918 @ 0830 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3438	Fokker D.VII	Driven down out of control	Messines
4	16 August 1918 @ 1250 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3438	Rumpler reconnaissance plane	Destroyed	East of Kemmel Hill	Victory shared with Harold Goodman Shoemaker
5	22 August 1918 @ 0550 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n D3438	LVG reconnaissance plane	Driven down out of control	Estaires
6	4 September 1918 @ 0805 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n E1978	Observation balloon	Destroyed	South of Roulers
7	28 October 1918 @ 1445 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a	Fokker D.VII	Destroyed	Northwest of Wortegem	Victory shared with Andrew Kiddie Gordon and another pilot
8	28 October 1918 @ 1450 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a	Fokker D.VII	Driven down out of control	Wortegem
9	30 October 1918 @ 0830 hours	Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a	Observation balloon	Destroyed	Quaremont

Post-war

Gordon died on 27 June 1985.

References

• Shores, Christopher F.; Franks, Norman & Guest, Russell F. (1990). Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915–1920. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 978-0-948817-19-9.