John Albert Axel Gibson

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.[1] He was commissioned as an acting pilot officer on probation on 9 July 1938.[2] His commission was confirmed on 16 August 1939,[3] 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 (County of Gloucester) 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:

Pilot Officer John Albert Axel GIBSON (40969). In August, whilst on an offensive patrol over Dover this officer engaged and destroyed a Junkers 87 and was afterwards shot down himself. Although his aircraft was in flames he steered it away from the town of Folkestone and did not abandon the aircraft until it had descended to 1,000 feet. Pilot Officer Gibson has destroyed eight enemy aircraft, and has displayed great courage and presence of mind.[4]

He was promoted flying officer on 3 September 1940,[5] and later in the month he was wounded and hospitalised.[1]

In May 1941, Gibson was posted as an air firing instructor, and returned to flying as a flight commander with No. 457 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force. On 3 September 1941 he was promoted to war substantive flight lieutenant.[6] In May 1942, the squadron moved to Australia and Gibson was posted to New Zealand with the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He joined No. 15 Squadron and went to Tonga and flew Kittyhawks as a flight commander.[1][7]

Gibson returned to New Zealand in December 1942 and attended a course at the Staff College in April 1943. In December 1943, he rejoined No. 15 Squadron at New Georgia in the Solomon Islands as Commanding Officer.[7] He was confirmed as a temporary squadron leader on 1 July 1944.[8] On 16 March 1945 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.[9] He returned to Europe and joined No. 80 Squadron flying the Hawker Tempest, and was again shot down and injured in March 1945.[1] After recovering,[1] he formally transferred to the RNZAF on 1 December 1945.[10] However, he soon returned to RAF service, and served successively as pilot and aide to Bernard Montgomery and Arthur Tedder.[1][11] He resigned his commission in 1950,[1] but returned to the RAF in 1952, initially reverting to the rank of flight lieutenant.[12] He was promoted to squadron leader again on 1 January 1953.[13] He finally retired from the RAF on 31 December 1954.[14]

In the 1960s, Gibson formed Bechuanaland National Airways and Botswana National Airways. Beginning with a Douglas DC-3, he expanded the airlines until they operated two DC-3s, two Douglas DC-4s, and a presidential aircraft for Batswana President Seretse Khama. During the Biafran War, Gibson was operating from Gabon, and with his son Michael as co-pilot, he flew in supplies and helped to evacuate children. He later formed a charter airline Jagair, based at Kariba Dam, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and after ceasing operations due to political difficulties, he was employed by his friend and fellow wartime Royal Air Force pilot, Ian Smith, the Prime Minister of Rhodesia, as an aviation operations officer.[1]

Gibson retired in 1982, and returned to the United Kingdom in 1987 where he settled in Nottingham. He died on 1 July 2000.[1][7]