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William Gray (RAF officer)

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William Edrington Gray
Born(1898-10-11)11 October 1898
Mordington, Berwickshire, Scotland
DiedMay 1985 (aged 86)[1]
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchRoyal Navy
Royal Air Force
Years of service1917–1919
RankLieutenant
UnitNo. 213 Squadron RAF
Battles / warsWorld War I
AwardsOrder of the British Empire
Distinguished Flying Cross
Mention in Despatches
Croix de Guerre (France)
Other workAeronautical engineer

Lieutenant William Edrington Gray, OBE, DFC (11 October 1898 – May 1985) was a Scottish World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.[2]

Biography

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Gray was the son of Edward and Annabella Gray of Edrington Castle in Mordington, Berwickshire, Scotland. He joined the Royal Naval Air Service on 25 July 1917. By May 1918, when Gray went operational, the RNAS had been incorporated into the Royal Air Force. Gray was assigned to a former naval squadron, No. 213, as a Sopwith Camel pilot.[3]

On 19 May 1918, Gray was patrolling with William Pinder. Vizefeldwebel Triebswetter of Jasta 16 pulled away from burning a Belgian observation balloon when the British pair shot him down. This began a run of victories for Gray that ran almost to war's end. Gray won a Distinguished Flying Cross on 2 November 1918. He also received two belated awards in early 1919, being Mentioned in Despatches and winning the Croix de Guerre.[3]

After the war Gray left the RAF, being transferred to the unemployed list on 22 June 1919,[4] and pursued a career as aeronautical engineer. This was a long-standing interest, as he and his older brother Edward Leadbetter Gray (1897–1918)[5][6] had built a primitive monoplane in 1910–1911, and a biplane in 1914–1915.[7] On 25 October 1926 he filed a patent for his aircraft undercarriage design at the UK Patent Office, and did the same at the U.S. Office on 14 October 1927, being granted U.S. Patent No. 1,716,439 on 11 June 1929.[8] In 1962 Gray, then Principal Scientific Officer at the Royal Aircraft Establishment was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services.[9]

List of aerial victories

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See also: Aerial victory standards of World War I
No. Date/time Aircraft Foe Result Location Notes
1 19 May 1918
@ 1735 hours 		Sopwith Camel
serial number B6239 		Albatros D.V Shot down in flames A mile south of Woumen, Belgium Kill shared with John Pinder; Vizefeldwebel Triebswetter killed in action
2 2 June 1918 1935 hours Sopwith Camel
s/n D3409 		Pfalz D.III Driven down out of control Moorslede, Belgium Victory shared with John Pinder
3 11 August 1918
@ 1940 hours 		Sopwith Camel
s/n D8189 		Albatros two-seater Destroyed 4 miles southeast of Diksmuide, Belgium Victory shared with three other pilots
4 21 August 1918
@1915 hours 		Sopwith Camel
s/n D8189 		Fokker D.VII Destroyed 2 miles northwest of Zeebrugge German pilot killed by parachute failure[3]
5 23 September 1918
@ 1425 hours 		Sopwith Camel
s/n D8189 		Fokker D.VII Driven down out of control East of Diksmuide, Belgium[2]
6 25 September 1918
@ 1745 hours 		Sopwith Camel
s/n D8189 		Fokker D.VII Driven down out of control 4 miles west of Thorout, Belgium[3]
7 1 October 1918 Sopwith Camel
s/n D8189 		Fokker D.VII Driven down out of control Houthulst Forest[2]

Honours and awards

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Distinguished Flying Cross
Lieutenant William Edrington Gray (Sea Patrol).
Since May last this officer has destroyed three enemy machines and has taken part in five low-bombing raids. He is a most efficient officer, possessing great presence of mind, and invariably displaying cool courage in difficult situations. On a recent occasion he led a formation of forty machines to bomb an aerodrome; this was most successfully accomplished, and was largely due to Lieut. Gray's able and skilful leadership.[10]
Mention in Despatches
For "distinguished service in war areas". Gazetted on 1 January 1919.[11]
Croix de Guerre with Palme
Gazetted 7 February 1919.[12]

References

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Notes
  1. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007
  2. ^ a b c "William Edrington Gray". The Aerodrome. 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Shores et.al. (1990), p.175.
  4. ^ "No. 31433". The London Gazette. 4 July 1919. p. 8393.
  5. ^ "Casualty Details: Gray, Edward Leadbetter". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  6. ^ "War memorials: Second Lieutenant Edward Gray". The Coldstream History Society. 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  7. ^ Goodall, Michael H.; Tagg, Albert E. (2001). British Aircraft before the Great War. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 9780764312076. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  8. ^ Gray, W. E. (11 June 1929). "Undercarrlage For Aeroplanes" (PDF). US Patent Office. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  9. ^ "No. 42683". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 May 1962. p. 4318.
  10. ^ "No. 30989". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 November 1918. p. 12966.
  11. ^ "No. 31098". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1918. p. 101.
  12. ^ "No. 31170". The London Gazette. 7 February 1919. p. 2050.
Bibliography
  • 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.
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