Patrick Gibbs

Wing Commander Reginald Patrick Mahoney Gibbs, (2 April 1915 – 8 March 2008) was a British military pilot and journalist. Gibbs fought in the Second World War and was noted for his specialised torpedo attacks against shipping. Early history Gibbs was born in Penarth, Wales, on 2 April 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 carriers, 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 torpedoing. Second World War At the outbreak of the Second World War, Gibbs was still posted at Gosport but, on 1 February 1940, he was promoted flight lieutenant and then joined No. 22 Squadron as a flight commander in Coastal Command, based at RAF North Coates, 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 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 frustrating. He managed to persuade his superiors that the Beauforts, which he flew with No. 22 Squadron, could have a role in disrupting German 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.