90279 Flight Lieutenant William E Gore – 607 Squadron
William Ernest Gore of Stockton-on-Tees was employed as an electrical engineer when he joined 607 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force in 1934. He was called to full-time service on 24th August 1939 and flew to France with the squadron, then equipped with Gladiators, on 15th November.
On 31st March he force-landed in Gladiator K7898 near Vitry-en-Artois when the engine seized up. On 10th May he claimed a Heinkel He111, 1G+DK of 2./KG27, that came down near St. Amand-les-Eaux. He shared another He111, from 1./LG1, on 11th May. Leading a section on a dawn patrol on 12th May 1940, Gore intercepted He111’s of 4./LG1. His section shot down three of them but return fire set his Hurricane P2572 AF-B on fire and he baled out. He was taken to hospital with burns. Gore was awarded the DFC (gazetted 31st May 1940).
He was posted to 54 Squadron at Catterick on 6th August but returned to 607 the following month. On the 28th September Gore was shot down by Me109’s, in an action east of Selsey. He was reported ‘Missing’ and is believed to have crashed into the sea in Hurricane P3108.
Gore was 25. He is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial, panel 4.