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Wednesday 24 April 2013

War Grave Wednesday - Commander Margot. W. Gore, MBE, DO




Memorial to Margot W. Gore MBE, DO, All Saints Maidenhead Cemetery, Maidenhead, Berkshire.


"Aetheris Avidi. (Eager for the Air). - Cdr Margot W Gore MBE, DO - CO 15 Ferry Pilot Pool, Hamble 1941-5 - Born 24. 1. 1913 - Died 28. 8. 1993."


Margot Wyndham Gore was born in East Preston, Sussex on 24th January 1913.  She was one of only two female Commanding Officers in the ATA, Air Transport Auxiliary, the other being Marion Wilberforce.  This was highly unusual and at the beginning of the ATA many felt that women pilots were taking the jobs of male pilots.  C. G. Grey, editor of The Aeroplane, an influential magazine of the time reported -

"The menace is the woman who thinks that she ought to be flying a high-speed bomber  when she really has not the intelligence to scrub the floor of hospital properly."



However as more and more women joined the war effort and qualified to fly, they were slowly accepted.  Margot Gore herself was quoted as saying on the subject -

"I never had anybody say anything derogatory to me or nasty, in any way, [there was] surprise... particularly later on when we came in four-engines.  They did look very startled when a rather small person got out of a very big aircraft."


Margot was one of only four female ATA pilots that received and MBE for their services to their country in it's hour of need.

Margot sadly passed away on 28th August 1993 in Henley aged 80 years.

1 comment:

  1. Bravo to her! :) I'm glad you found her marker, and shared her information. And - Thanks for linking up on Taphophile Tragics. :)

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