Guy Gibson
| Guy Penrose Gibson | |
|---|---|
Guy Gibson, VC in 1944
|
|
| Born |
12 August 1918 Simla, British India |
| Died | 19 September 1944 (aged 26) Steenbergen, Netherlands |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1936–44 |
| Rank | Wing Commander |
| Service number | 39438 |
| Unit |
No. 83 (Bomber) Squadron No. 29 Squadron No. 106 Squadron |
| Commands held | No. 617 Squadron (1943) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order & Bar Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) |
Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson, VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar (12 August 1918 – 19 September 1944), was the first Commanding Officer of the Royal Air Force's No. 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid (Operation Chastise) in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, and in June 1943 became the most highly decorated serviceman in the country, but lost his life later in the war. He had completed over 170 operations at the age of 26.
Gibson was born in Simla, British India, the son of Alexander James Gibson and his wife Leonora ("Nora") Mary Gibson. At the time of his 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. In 1924, when he was six, his parents separated. His mother was granted custody of Gibson, his elder brother Alexander ("Alick") and sister Joan, and decided to return to England.
As her family came from Porthleven, Cornwall, she settled first in Penzance. Gibson started school in England at the same school as his sister, West Cornwall College. His mother then moved to London and he was sent as a boarder to Earl's Avenue School, a preparatory school, later known as St George's, in Folkestone, Kent.
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