William Rose Gent (B. 29 Jan 1876, D. 05 Oct 1930) joined the airship service in 1915 and by 1919 had extensive experience of working on airships. Press reports list Flight Sgt W. R. Gent as a crew member of the R32. He was also an engineer on the R34.
Served in non-rigids in the RNAS before becoming a crew member on R29, R31, R32, R33, R34 and R101. He was on board R33 when it was torn away from its mast in 1925 and helped to bring it back to base safely. Although no direct documentation has been found for his presence on board R36 flights, he was part of her assigned crew during refurbishment in 1924. Given his experience, it seems likely he was on at least some of her flights
William Gent lived in Shortstown from at least 1925 until 1930 when he lost his life in the R101 crash