Patrick Gibbs
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander
Reginald Patrick Mahoney Gibbs DSO
DFC
& Bar
(2 April 1915 - 8 March 2008) was a Welsh
military pilot
and journalist
. Gibbs fought in World War II
and was noted for his specialised torpedo
attacks against shipping.
in 1915, the son of shipowner and Wales
international rugby
player Reggie Gibbs
. He was educated at Oundle School
in Northamptonshire
and was awarded a cadetship to RAF College Cranwell
in 1934. At Oundle and Cranwell, Gibbs, like his father, excelled as a sportsman, especially in rugby, tennis and squash. He trained as a pilot and specialised in maritime strike and reconnaissance. On 1 August 1936 he was commissioned into the Royal Air Force
as a pilot officer
, and was seconded to the Fleet Air Arm
for two years. With them he flew Shark
and Swordfish
planes off aircraft carrier
s, and he gained his first experience of launching torpedoes from the air. Gibbs was then posted to the Torpedo Training School at Gosport
, where he became an instructor in aerial torpedo
ing.
, and then joined No. 22 Squadron
, as a flight commander in Coastal Command, at RAF North Cotes, Lincolnshire
. He then commenced a year-long tour of duty running sorties against enemy shipping off the coasts of Norway
and the Netherlands
and bombing raids on Biscay
ports. He was promoted to temporary squadron leader
on 1 March 1941, and on 26 September 1941 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
(DFC) for his performance in that role. By then he was in the midst of another six month stint training pilots. Bored by the training post, Gibbs volunteered for service in the Middle East
and was posted to the Cairo
headquarters of the Air Staff. He was given an administrative post, which he found extremely frustrating. He managed to persuade his superiors that the Beauforts
, which he flew with the 22 Squadron, could have a role in disrupting Rommel's
oil supplies in the Mediterranean
. In 1942 Gibbs was posted to No. 39 Squadron
at Sidi Barrani
and on his first sortie he managed to sink an Italian ship after releasing a torpedo from just 50 feet. Gibbs soon realised that the convoy targets he wanted to attack were out of range of the Beauforts, and after crash-landing on Malta
, took his proposal to Air-Vice Marshal Lloyd that he and the Beauforts would be more effective posted on the island. He was given permission, though Gibbs later revealed that the Air Ministry in London believed he was reinforcing India. He was promoted temporary wing commander on 1 June 1942. Gibbs flew four sorties from Malta between 22 July and 4 August, twice turning back the convoys. On the final sortie his Beaufort was badly damaged and he crash landed his plane on Malta for a second time. For his actions from Malta he was awarded a Bar
to his DFC on 7 July 1942:
He continued leading attacks throughout August, which had a considerable impact on the war in the Mediterranean and altered the attitude of RAF command towards aerial tactics. Gibbs' war substantive rank was increased to squadron leader on 1 September 1942. By then Gibbs was exhausted and returned to Britain, and on 18 September the award of the Distinguished Service Order
was gazetted:
On 20 November 1942 his rank of squadron leader was made fully substantive, backdated all the way to 1 March 1941. He was kept from active service and was given a role in the Air Ministry
, but by 1944 the strain from his flying days caught up with him and he was invalided out as a wing commander on 24 February.
While in the Air Ministry, Gibbs wrote a book on his experiences, Not Peace but a Sword. The book took in his early life and his war experiences up to his posting in Cairo. The book was a success and he began work on a sequel, but his publishers believed that with the end of the war the book would not be as well received and it was shelved.
. He and Pavlow became lifelong friends, and Pavlow in turn introduced him to dramatic critic of The Daily Telegraph
, W A Darlington. Darlington invited Gibbs to review some minor works for the paper as a stringer
. During this period, the Telegraph's film critic, George Campbell Dixon, was frequently ill and Gibbs often picked up his work. In 1960, Dixon left the post and Gibbs took over his duties. He was an observant critic, but sometimes irked readers with his detailed summary of a film's plot. He had little time for celebrity or the Hollywood system and his reviews were independent and tended to concentrate on acting and production.
Although a film critic, Gibbs preferred theatre and opera in particular. He enjoyed trips to France and Italy, and his job took him to film festivals all over the world. He retired from his role in the Telegraph in 1987, and in 1992 he finally released his second book Torpedo Leader in Malta. The book was released to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the award of the George Cross to Malta.
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Reginald Patrick Mahoney Gibbs DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(2 April 1915 - 8 March 2008) was a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
military pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. Gibbs fought in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was noted for his specialised torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
attacks against shipping.
Early history
Gibbs was born in PenarthPenarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
in 1915, the son of shipowner and Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
international rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player Reggie Gibbs
Reggie Gibbs
Reginald "Reggie" Arthur Gibbs was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Penarth and Cardiff. He was capped 16 times for his country and captained his team on one occasion...
. He was educated at Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and was awarded a cadetship to RAF College Cranwell
Royal Air Force College Cranwell
The Royal Air Force College is the Royal Air Force training and education academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to be commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is responsible for all RAF recruiting along with...
in 1934. At Oundle and Cranwell, Gibbs, like his father, excelled as a sportsman, especially in rugby, tennis and squash. He trained as a pilot and specialised in maritime strike and reconnaissance. On 1 August 1936 he was commissioned into the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as a pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
, and was seconded to the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
for two years. With them he flew Shark
Blackburn Shark
-Bibliography:* Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.* Shores, Christopher, Brian Cull and Yasuho Izawa. Bloody Shambles:Volume One:The Drift to War to the Fall of Singapore. London:Grub Street, 1992. ISBN 0-948817-50-X.*...
and Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
planes off aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s, and he gained his first experience of launching torpedoes from the air. Gibbs was then posted to the Torpedo Training School at Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
, where he became an instructor in aerial torpedo
Aerial torpedo
The aerial torpedo, airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo is a naval weapon, the torpedo, designed to be dropped into water from an aircraft after which it propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torpedoes were used extensively in World War II, and remain in limited...
ing.
Second World War
At the outbreak of World War II, Gibbs was still posted at Gosport, but on 1 February 1940 he was promoted flight lieutenantFlight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
, and then joined No. 22 Squadron
No. 22 Squadron RAF
No. 22 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Sea King HAR.3 and HAR.3A at three stations in the southern United Kingdom. The squadron was originally formed in 1915 as an aerial reconnaissance unit of the Royal Flying Corps serving on the Western Front during First World War...
, as a flight commander in Coastal Command, at RAF North Cotes, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. He then commenced a year-long tour of duty running sorties against enemy shipping off the coasts of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and bombing raids on Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
ports. He was promoted to temporary squadron leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
on 1 March 1941, and on 26 September 1941 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(DFC) for his performance in that role. By then he was in the midst of another six month stint training pilots. Bored by the training post, Gibbs volunteered for service in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and was posted to the Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
headquarters of the Air Staff. He was given an administrative post, which he found extremely frustrating. He managed to persuade his superiors that the Beauforts
Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
, which he flew with the 22 Squadron, could have a role in disrupting Rommel's
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
oil supplies in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. In 1942 Gibbs was posted to No. 39 Squadron
No. 39 Squadron RAF
No. 39 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the MQ-9 Reaper since 2007, operating from Creech AFB, Nevada, USA.-World War I:39 Squadron was founded at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome in April 1916 with B.E.2s and Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12s in an attempt to defend against German Zeppelin raids on...
at Sidi Barrani
Sidi Barrani
Sidi Barrani is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the border with Libya, and around from Tobruk, Libya.Probably named after Sidi Mohammed el Barrani, a Senussi fighter in the early 1900s, the village is mainly a Bedouin community...
and on his first sortie he managed to sink an Italian ship after releasing a torpedo from just 50 feet. Gibbs soon realised that the convoy targets he wanted to attack were out of range of the Beauforts, and after crash-landing on Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, took his proposal to Air-Vice Marshal Lloyd that he and the Beauforts would be more effective posted on the island. He was given permission, though Gibbs later revealed that the Air Ministry in London believed he was reinforcing India. He was promoted temporary wing commander on 1 June 1942. Gibbs flew four sorties from Malta between 22 July and 4 August, twice turning back the convoys. On the final sortie his Beaufort was badly damaged and he crash landed his plane on Malta for a second time. For his actions from Malta he was awarded a Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
to his DFC on 7 July 1942:
He continued leading attacks throughout August, which had a considerable impact on the war in the Mediterranean and altered the attitude of RAF command towards aerial tactics. Gibbs' war substantive rank was increased to squadron leader on 1 September 1942. By then Gibbs was exhausted and returned to Britain, and on 18 September the award of the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
was gazetted:
On 20 November 1942 his rank of squadron leader was made fully substantive, backdated all the way to 1 March 1941. He was kept from active service and was given a role in the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
, but by 1944 the strain from his flying days caught up with him and he was invalided out as a wing commander on 24 February.
While in the Air Ministry, Gibbs wrote a book on his experiences, Not Peace but a Sword. The book took in his early life and his war experiences up to his posting in Cairo. The book was a success and he began work on a sequel, but his publishers believed that with the end of the war the book would not be as well received and it was shelved.
Career in journalism
After the end of the war Gibbs invested in a chain of laundrettes, but his career shifted after a friend introduced him to actress Muriel PavlowMuriel Pavlow
Muriel Lilian Pavlow is a British actress. Her mother was French and her father was Russian.-Film career:She began work as a child actor with John Gielgud and the Royal Shakespeare Company...
. He and Pavlow became lifelong friends, and Pavlow in turn introduced him to dramatic critic of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, W A Darlington. Darlington invited Gibbs to review some minor works for the paper as a stringer
Stringer (journalism)
In journalism, a stringer is a type of freelance journalist or photographer who contributes reports or photos to a news organization on an ongoing basis but is paid individually for each piece of published or broadcast work....
. During this period, the Telegraph's film critic, George Campbell Dixon, was frequently ill and Gibbs often picked up his work. In 1960, Dixon left the post and Gibbs took over his duties. He was an observant critic, but sometimes irked readers with his detailed summary of a film's plot. He had little time for celebrity or the Hollywood system and his reviews were independent and tended to concentrate on acting and production.
Although a film critic, Gibbs preferred theatre and opera in particular. He enjoyed trips to France and Italy, and his job took him to film festivals all over the world. He retired from his role in the Telegraph in 1987, and in 1992 he finally released his second book Torpedo Leader in Malta. The book was released to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the award of the George Cross to Malta.
Later life and death
Gibbs was married twice, his first to Nina Thruston in 1947 was dissolved 12 years later. He then married Jane Eyre in 1960 and they had a son and a daughter. Gibbs died in 2008 at the age of 92.Published works
- Not Peace but a Sword, Cassells (1943)
- Torpedo Leader in Malta, Grub Street (1992) ISBN 978-1902304830