John Albert Axel Gibson
| John Albert Axel Gibson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Axel John Albert von Wichmann |
| Nickname(s) | Johnny |
| Born |
24 August 1916 Brighton, England |
| Died | 1 July 2000 (aged 83) Nottingham, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force |
| Rank | Squadron Leader |
| Commands held | No. 15 Squadron RNZAF |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Flying Cross Mentioned in Despatches |
| Other work | Airline pilot and executive |
John Albert Axel "Johnny" Gibson, DSO, DFC (24 August 1916 – 1 July 2000) was Royal Air Force officer and a noted flying ace of the Second World War.
John Gibson was born in Brighton on 24 August 1916, the only child of Violet Lilian (née Wells) and Axel Charles von Wichmann, later Wickman (the Coventry machine tool manufacturer A.C. Wickman, 1894–1970) of Brighton and Hove. In 1920 he moved with his mother's family to New Zealand, where she married James Gibson. John was educated in Auckland and at New Plymouth Boy's High School. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1938, where he began a short service commission in the Royal Air Force. He was commissioned as an acting pilot officer on probation on 9 July 1938. His commission was confirmed on 16 August 1939, just a few weeks before the UK entered the Second World War in September 1939.
In May 1940, as France was invaded by Nazi Germany, Gibson was posted to No. 501 (City of Bristol) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, and his squadron was dispatched from RAF Tangmere across the English Channel to Bétheniville. The squadron flew Hawker Hurricanes, which Gibson had not flown before, and on 27 May he scored his first kill when he destroyed a Heinkel 111 bomber, and shared in another kill, before being shot down and landing close to Rouen. He was again shot down on 10 June over Le Mans, and a week later his squadron withdrew to Jersey and then regrouped at Croydon Airport. On 29 August after shooting down a Me 109, he was rescued from the English Channel after his aircraft was shot down and he parachuted to safety. The next day he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation read:
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