1. Guy Gibson was the first Commanding Officer of No 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid in 1943, resulting in the breaching of two large dams in the Ruhr area of Germany.
181 Facts About Guy Gibson
1. 2.
Guy Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, in the aftermath of the raid in May 1943 and became the most highly decorated British serviceman at that time.
3.
Guy Gibson completed over 170 war operations before being killed in action at the age of 26.
4.
At the time of Guy Gibson's birth, his father was an officer in the Imperial Indian Forestry Service, becoming the Chief Conservator of Forests for the Simla Hill States in 1922.
5.
Guy Gibson's mother was granted custody of Gibson, his elder brother Alexander and sister Joan, and decided to return to England.
6.
Guy Gibson started school in England at the same school as his sister, West Cornwall College.
7.
In 1932 Guy Gibson started at St Edward's School, Oxford, the same school as Douglas Bader where he was placed in the same house, Cowell's.
8.
Guy Gibson's behaviour became increasingly erratic and sometimes violent towards her children.
9.
Guy Gibson was an average student academically and played for the Rugby Second XV.
10.
Guy Gibson read all kinds of books, especially the Arthurian legends and Shakespeare.
11.
Guy Gibson had a picture of his boyhood hero, Albert Ball VC, the First World War flying ace, on his bedroom wall at his aunt's house.
12.
Guy Gibson's ambition was to become a civilian test pilot.
13.
Guy Gibson wrote for advice to Vickers, receiving a reply from their chief test pilot, Captain Joseph "Mutt" Summers, who wrote that Gibson should first learn to fly by joining the RAF on a short service commission.
14.
Guy Gibson applied to the RAF, but was rejected when he failed the Medical Board; the probable reason that his legs were too short.
15.
Guy Gibson commenced a short service commission in November 1936.
16.
Guy Gibson commenced his flying training on 16 November 1936 at the Bristol Flying School, Yatesbury, with No 6 Flying Training Course and with civilian instructors.
17.
Guy Gibson was commissioned with the rank of acting pilot officer with effect from 31 January 1937.
18.
Guy Gibson then underwent further flying training as a member of the junior section of No 5 Flying Training Course at No 6 Flying Training School RAF, RAF Netheravon.
19.
Guy Gibson was awarded his pilot's wings on 24 May 1937.
20.
Guy Gibson opted for bombers as these gave experience in multi-engined planes, this being typical for individuals planning on a civilian flying career.
21.
Guy Gibson returned to Netheravon and graduated on 31 August 1937.
22.
Guy Gibson's initial posting was to No 83 Squadron, stationed at RAF Turnhouse, west of Edinburgh.
23.
Guy Gibson was assigned to 'A' Flight and was placed under the supervision of Pilot Officer Anthony "Oscar" Bridgman.
24.
Guy Gibson joined a settled group of officers from similar minor public school backgrounds.
25.
Guy Gibson was promoted to pilot officer on 16 November 1937.
26.
At a Court of Inquiry in October 1938, Guy Gibson was found guilty of negligence after a taxiing incident at RAF Hemswell.
27.
Guy Gibson spent Christmas Day 1938 in hospital at RAF Rauceby with chickenpox.
28.
Guy Gibson did not appear to take the course seriously, but passed with an average mark.
29.
Guy Gibson was due to leave the RAF, but was retained owing to the outbreak of hostilities in Abyssinia.
30.
Guy Gibson was recalled from leave back to Scampton by telegram on 31 August 1939.
31.
Guy Gibson was one of the pilots selected to attack the German fleet, which was near Wilhelmshaven.
32.
Guy Gibson's arm was put in a sling and he was granted 36 hours leave.
33.
In February 1940, Guy Gibson was one of the members of the squadron put on temporary secondment to Coastal Command at RAF Lossiemouth.
34.
Guy Gibson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 9 July 1940.
35.
Guy Gibson was promoted to flight lieutenant on 3 September 1940.
36.
Guy Gibson was there for two weeks, part of which was spent on leave, but he did not settle.
37.
Guy Gibson was then transferred to No 16 OTU at RAF Upper Heyford.
38.
Harris wrote a letter introducing the pilots, which included the comment "a hand-picked bunch of which Guy Gibson is the best".
39.
Guy Gibson was ordered to report on 13 November 1940 to No 29 Squadron as the commander of 'A' Flight.
40.
Guy Gibson was weeding out under-performing pilots and replacing his flight commanders.
41.
Guy Gibson attracted some hostility from some longer-standing members of the squadron, because as one of these new flight commanders, he was seen as part of Widdows' reforms and he had been chosen over an existing member of the squadron.
42.
Guy Gibson then undertook some intensive training on AI radar procedure.
43.
Guy Gibson found the night-fighter culture very different from bombers as the two-man crew had to work as a team with the pilot relying on the guidance of the AI operator to find their targets.
44.
Guy Gibson went to Skegness to collect the tail assembly as trophy for the squadron and the crew's dinghy for himself.
45.
Guy Gibson was unharmed, but his AI operator, Sergeant Bell, was injured in the leg.
46.
Guy Gibson was promoted to acting squadron leader towards the end of June 1941 and started to deputise for the commander in his absence.
47.
However, the Luftwaffe's bombing offensive was tailing off and Guy Gibson started to become bored by the relative safety, and began to describe patrols as "stooge patrols" in his log book.
48.
Guy Gibson made some further interceptions but his guns or cannons failed.
49.
Guy Gibson was concerned by his relative lack of success compared with his fellow flight commander Bob Braham.
50.
Guy Gibson seems to have been happy at West Malling and said "Of all the airfields in Great Britain, here, many say, including myself, we have the most pleasant".
51.
Guy Gibson left with both flying and gunnery ratings of above average.
52.
Again, as a rest from operations, Guy Gibson was due to be posted to an OTU, this time No 51 OTU, RAF Cranfield as Chief Flying Instructor.
53.
Guy Gibson's opportunity came a few weeks later when on 22 February 1942, Arthur Harris was appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Bomber Command.
54.
Guy Gibson eased himself back into bomber operational flying with a mine-laying operation in the Baltic on 22 April 1942.
55.
Guy Gibson continued to show unremitting aggression with a selectivity towards harder targets rather than easier ones.
56.
Guy Gibson expected the same determination from everyone on the squadron.
57.
Guy Gibson was pressured to expose them earlier to greater risks, and acquired a reputation for not accepting any interference in how he ran the squadron.
58.
Guy Gibson got on better with his own class and background than with "other ranks and colonials".
59.
Guy Gibson was then sent on two weeks convalescent leave.
60.
Guy Gibson found this frustrating because this raid saw the introduction of the Bomber stream.
61.
Guy Gibson tried it out and then encouraged all aircrews to become "photo minded".
62.
However, Guy Gibson advised that the aircraft should not attack any ships below 8,500 feet.
63.
Guy Gibson again flew with Shannon and they swapped places during the flight.
64.
Guy Gibson quickly formed a good relationship with Syerston's station commander Group Captain "Gus" Walker.
65.
In November 1942 Guy Gibson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
66.
Guy Gibson was in the control room with Walker watching the aircraft taxiing for take-off.
67.
On 16 January 1943, Guy Gibson took BBC war correspondent Major Richard Dimbleby on a sortie to Berlin.
68.
Guy Gibson was very pleased with the outcome, as he always wanted to communicate what life was like for the aircrews.
69.
Guy Gibson flew on three engines and was forced to stay low throughout the raid.
70.
Guy Gibson was expecting to go on leave to Cornwall and was therefore shocked when he received a call from HQ No 5 Group to inform him he was being posted there to write a book.
71.
On 18 March 1943 Guy Gibson attended an interview at HQ No 5 Group where Cochrane asked him if he was willing to fly on "one more trip".
72.
Some crews or pilots were known to Guy Gibson including Hopgood and Shannon, who by this time had transferred from No 106 squadron to the Pathfinders and No 83 Squadron.
73.
Guy Gibson selected Harold "Mick" Martin for his low-flying expertise.
74.
Guy Gibson's office was on the 1st floor in No 2 Hangar.
75.
Guy Gibson delegated this and the adjutant assigned from No 57 Squadron was quickly replaced with Flight Lieutenant Humphreys from Syerston.
76.
Wallis discovered Guy Gibson had not been cleared for a full briefing and therefore could not be told the targets.
77.
Guy Gibson had VHF radios fitted to the Type 464 Lancasters as he intended to control the operation while over the target, an early example of what became the master bomber role.
78.
Guy Gibson took Hopgood and Young with him and found low flying during daylight satisfactory but during an attempt at dusk the difficulty of their task became apparent, when they nearly ditched.
79.
Guy Gibson then attended a further meeting with Wallis at Weybridge.
80.
Guy Gibson was closely involved with discussions about the design, trial and approval of the solutions developed for the various technical issues encountered.
81.
Guy Gibson wrote to Cochrane who raised his concerns about this 'criminal' breach of security at the highest levels.
82.
Guy Gibson took Whitworth with him and described the outcome in his log book as "completely successful".
83.
Guy Gibson returned to Scampton and at 18:00 at Whitworth's house, along with Wallis, he briefed Young and Maudsley, his flight commanders, and Hopgood, the deputy leader, and Hay, the squadron's bombing leader.
84.
Guy Gibson had obtained Cochrane's verbal agreement for Hopgood and Hay to attend, which proved beneficial as Hopgood was able to point out the new defences at Huls.
85.
Guy Gibson was aware how superstitious some aircrew could be, as the dog was the squadron's mascot.
86.
Guy Gibson explained how they were going "to attack the great dams of Germany".
87.
Guy Gibson then introduced Wallis who explained how Upkeep would be used against the dams.
88.
Guy Gibson explained the operational details again and made it clear no crews were to return with their mine.
89.
Guy Gibson handed over to Wing Commander Dunn who explained the signals procedures.
90.
Guy Gibson was driven out to his aircraft AJ-G by his regular driver, Eileen Strawson.
91.
Guy Gibson had the route adjusted to Roosendaal and they flew on unopposed to the Rhine.
92.
Guy Gibson made a dummy run over the dam to look the target over and reported how he "liked the look of it".
93.
Guy Gibson made his bombing run but the bomb was released short and did not damage the dam.
94.
Guy Gibson then called in Hopgood to make his attack.
95.
Guy Gibson watched as Hopgood's aircraft was hit by flak, caught fire and then exploded.
96.
Guy Gibson then called in Martin to make his attack but this time decided to fly with him, parallel and slightly ahead, to draw off the flak.
97.
Guy Gibson called in Young and Martin flew alongside him, whilst Guy Gibson flew along another evasive path.
98.
At 00:56, Hutchinson sent the code word "N I G G E R", the name of Guy Gibson's recently killed dog, to signal the breach to HQ 5 Group and then confirmed it on their request.
99.
Guy Gibson's aircraft fired red Very lights to help him find the others.
100.
Guy Gibson called in Astell but did not seem to realise he was not present.
101.
Guy Gibson then called in Knight, who made a single dummy run before releasing his bomb.
102.
Guy Gibson returned via the Mohne dam and the third exit route.
103.
Guy Gibson had an uneventful flight home and landed at 04:15 with just three small holes in his aircraft's tail.
104.
Guy Gibson attended a debriefing and like all the pilots who returned from this raid, he had to complete a special questionnaire about the target and behaviour of the weapon.
105.
Guy Gibson's comments included how VHF had proved a "perfect" method to control the raid.
106.
Guy Gibson accepted that Munro's aircraft had sustained significant damage and Rice's mine had fallen off.
107.
Guy Gibson was furious with Anderson because he returned with his bomb, despite the instructions at the briefing.
108.
Guy Gibson showed the King models and photos of the dams.
109.
Guy Gibson then went on a fortnight's leave to Cornwall where he spent most of his time fishing.
110.
Guy Gibson continued his usual practice of adding personal comments to letters where possible.
111.
Guy Gibson then released the air crews from duty on seven days' leave and half the ground crew on three days' leave.
112.
Guy Gibson's response was subdued as he felt responsible for those he had recruited and who had not returned, particularly Hopgood.
113.
Guy Gibson was reported as saying: "It all seems so unfair".
114.
Guy Gibson presented Gibson with his VC and the Bar to his DSO first, and in making him the most highly decorated serviceman in the country.
115.
Guy Gibson was presented with a silver model of a Lancaster by the company's chairman, Thomas Sopwith.
116.
Guy Gibson flew with his regular crew and his successor, Wing Commander George Holden, to Eyebrook Reservoir to familiarise him with the technique to release Upkeep.
117.
Guy Gibson was therefore an outsider, like fellow passenger, Brigadier Orde Wingate, the Chindits leader.
118.
Mary Churchill, who was travelling as her father's aide-de-camp, found Guy Gibson "had all the aura of a hero" and "very agreeable and debonair to talk to".
119.
Guy Gibson spent the rest of the afternoon at an RCAF recruiting centre.
120.
Guy Gibson responded to questions about the Dams Raid and revealed the Prime Minister called him "Dam-buster".
121.
Churchill arranged for Guy Gibson to meet the President at a private meeting.
122.
Guy Gibson went to Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and London.
123.
Guy Gibson then went on to training bases at Carberry, Rivers, Dafoe, Moose Jaw and Moss Bank.
124.
Guy Gibson spent time with her at home the following day.
125.
Guy Gibson met Leading Aircraftman Robert Young, the younger brother of Squadron Leader Young, killed on the Dams raid.
126.
Guy Gibson continued on to Vancouver and Victoria before returning to Montreal and Ottawa in the east.
127.
Guy Gibson continued on to Chicago, Minneapolis and then to Los Angeles, where he stayed with the film director Howard Hawks.
128.
Guy Gibson returned to Montreal and flew back to Britain in a B-24 Liberator being ferried across the Atlantic.
129.
Guy Gibson visited HQ 5 Group in an attempt to obtain an operational posting, but was declared non-operational sick and sent on a month's rest leave.
130.
In January 1944, Guy Gibson was posted to the Directorate for the Prevention of Accidents, where he appears to have been under orders to write a book.
131.
Guy Gibson was seated in a small back room and had access to a dictaphone and typist.
132.
Guy Gibson did not seem to take well to his assignment initially; when Heveron travelled from Scampton to deliver some information about 617 Squadron, he found Gibson depressed and with long hair.
133.
The typescript survives of a draft Guy Gibson submitted in summer 1944, which his wife later donated to the RAF Museum at Hendon.
134.
On 19 February 1944, Guy Gibson appeared as the castaway on Desert Island Discs with Roy Plomley.
135.
In February 1944 he approached Guy Gibson to suggest he consider standing for Parliament.
136.
Guy Gibson agreed, but first he had to be selected by the local party.
137.
Guy Gibson was selected by a narrow margin and became the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for the constituency.
138.
Guy Gibson attended a staff course at the RAF Staff College at Bulstrode Park near Gerrards Cross from the end of March to May 1944.
139.
Guy Gibson feared the war would end before he could get back into the action.
140.
Guy Gibson pasted an aiming point photo from the operation in his log book.
141.
Guy Gibson made a similar flight in a Lightning a few days later to Le Havre.
142.
The announcement that Guy Gibson would be the controller was met with general incredulity.
143.
Guy Gibson was the Station Navigation Officer and therefore screened from operations.
144.
Guy Gibson attempted to mark it himself but his Target Indicators did not release.
145.
Guy Gibson then commanded them to stand by, so they started to turn away from the target.
146.
Guy Gibson then authorised the remaining aircraft to bomb the green area.
147.
Guy Gibson's aircraft crashed at Steenbergen in the Netherlands at around 22:30 and lit up in flames.
148.
When it was later confirmed who "Guy Gibson" was, a new cross was constructed with Gibson's rank, name and decorations.
149.
Guy Gibson was experienced and would have known not to take anything like an addressed letter with him under normal circumstances.
150.
Guy Gibson was possibly not where others might have expected him to be.
151.
Guy Gibson had seen countless friends and comrades perish in the great crusade.
152.
Guy Gibson had pushed his luck beyond all limits and he knew it.
153.
Guy Gibson met Eve Moore, a show dancer and actress, in December 1939 when she was performing in the revue Come Out To Play at the New Hippodrome Theatre, Coventry.
154.
Guy Gibson claimed he saw the revue three nights in succession before introducing himself to her on the fourth and accompanying her to a cast party.
155.
Guy Gibson was born Evelyn Mary Moore in Penarth, Wales, on 27 December 1911, which made her seven years older than Gibson.
156.
Guy Gibson became infatuated with her and travelled to meet her during his leave whenever he could as the revue progressed around the country.
157.
Guy Gibson found opportunities to pursue her while on duty.
158.
Guy Gibson volunteered to fly Hampdens to RAF St Athan, only twelve miles from Cardiff and conveniently close to Penarth.
159.
Guy Gibson managed to arrange a stopover in Glasgow when travelling to Lossiemouth.
160.
Guy Gibson proposed to Eve in October 1940 and she accepted.
161.
Guy Gibson was on her own most of the time and quickly became very unhappy.
162.
Guy Gibson joined in the station's social life taking part in revues and musicals.
163.
When Guy Gibson was posted to Cranfield, she decided to return to Penarth.
164.
Guy Gibson was a WAAF corporal and a theatre nurse in the Crash and Burn Unit.
165.
When Guy Gibson returned to Rauceby the following day to visit Walker, she and Guy Gibson started talking and he asked her out.
166.
Guy Gibson helped him with an incident of operational stress in mid-January 1943.
167.
Guy Gibson moved to live with her mother in Bognor Regis and they met there for the last time in summer 1944.
168.
However, both Eve and Guy Gibson's father preferred that they be left where they fell.
169.
Also there has been a local council initiative that has achieved a citywalk named after Guy Gibson, named "the Gibson walking route", available free of charge, at any local tourist office.
170.
Guy Gibson's name appears on the village War Memorial overlooking the harbour.
171.
Guy Gibson's mother was a member of an old Porthleven family of Master Mariners and Porthleven was Guy Gibson's English home.
172.
Guy Gibson appears as a fictionalized character in Stephen Baxter's The Time Ships, the authorised sequel to The Time Machine.
173.
Guy Gibson wore them to the Remembrance Day parade in 1956.
174.
Guy Gibson then passed them on to St Edward's School and they were placed in the school's memorial library until his death in 1968.
175.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson personally made the initial attack on the Moehne dam.
176.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson then led the remainder of his force to the Eder dam where, with complete disregard for his own safety, he repeated his tactics and once more drew on himself the enemy fire so that the attack could be successfully developed.
177.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson has completed over 170 sorties, involving more than 600 hours operational flying.
178.
Guy Gibson is a most skilful and courageous leader whose keenness has set a most inspiring example.
179.
Guy Gibson has always displayed the greatest keenness and, within the past two months, has taken part in six attacks against well-defended targets, including Berlin.
180.
Since joining his present unit, Squadron Leader Guy Gibson has destroyed three and damaged a fourth enemy aircraft.
181.
Guy Gibson's skill was notably demonstrated when, one night in July 1941, he intercepted and destroyed a Heinkel III.