John Rutherford Gordon

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John Rutherford Gordon MC (1895-1978) was an Australian fighter pilot and ace of World War I. As a sergeant No 1 section, A Coy, 10 Battalion he took part in the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli, Turkey, 25 April 1915. He received his commission while serving at Gallipoli. In August he was invalided to Australia and spent a year recuperating and serving as an Intelligence Officer. He transferred to the Australian Flying Corps and undertook flying training at Point Cook, Victoria.

John Gordon at the controls of a Graham White Boxkite, Point Cook, Victoria, 1916.

John Gordon and Bill Staton (standing) with their Bristol Fighter, No 62 Squadron RFC, 1918, Cachy, France.

John Gordon at the controls of his SE5a, France, 1918.

Returning to England in 1917 he was medically restricted from completing his flying training so on his own initiative transferred to the Royal Flying Corps to serve as a gunner on Bristol Fighters at No 62 Squadron. Teamed with Bill Staton he downed 7 enemy aircraft with the aircraft’s single rear gun, and Staton, a further 26, with the forward firing weapon. He was awarded the Military Cross for effective ground attack actions during the German March/April 1918 offensives.

In mid 1918 he returned to England to finally complete his flying training and then served as a pilot on the SE5a. Later, while undertaking a Sopwith Snipe conversion, the war ended and he returned to Australia.

At the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the RAAF as Recruiting Officer in Adelaide and subsequently took the first intake of the Empire Air Training Scheme to Canada. From 1942 he served as the Commanding Officer of the No 3 Initial Training School at Kingaroy, Queensland. He retired from the RAAF in 1945 with the rank of Wing Commander.