Gibbs, John Arthur Died

Back

Personal Information

Rank F/S
Forename(s) John Arthur
Surname Gibbs
Gender M
Age 23
Date of Death 19-04-1945
Next of Kin Son of George Beynon Gibbs of Llangennith, Gower.
GIBBS JA 451

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax III
Serial Number MZ518
Markings LK-C

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Germany
Burial/Memorial Place Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery
Grave Reference 6. B. 13.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 169
GIBBS JA 451

Location

Row -
Panel 169
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 2
Panel Number 169

Enlistment Information

Service Number 1338451
Service Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Group 4
Squadron 578
Squadron Motto Accuracy
Trade Air Gunner
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location St. Cennydd's Church, Llangennith, Swansea
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Marble Tablet
Memorial Text
Location St Cennydd's Church, Llanngennith, Gower Penninsula, Swansea, Wales
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed marble plaque
Memorial Text Sacred to the memory of F/S John Arthur Gibbs 578 Sqn
Location Adjacent to A19, Burn, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Memorial Stone
Memorial Text For all who served in 578 Squadron Royal Air Force Burn 1944 - 1945
Location Methodist Church, Burn, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text
Location Selby Abbey, Selby, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type RoH in Glass topped wooden cabinet
Memorial Text In memory of all 578 Sqn Aircrew who failed to return from Ops at RAF Burn
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Memorial Gardens, Propeller, Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text In everlasting homage to the courage of those who have found their winged victory through the skies of Yorkshire
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text They made the supreme sacrifice so that you & I may go in peace with freedom. 4 Group 1939 - 1945.
Location Heslington Hall, York, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text Heslington Hall 1941 - 1945, 4 Gp Headquarters Bomber Command. In remembrance of those Air & Ground personnel who made the supreme sacrifice that we all may walk in peace with freedom

Miscellaneous Information

Killed when the PoW column in which he was marching was strafed by Allied Typhoons. Date of crash 23/4/44
Born 28 July 1921 in Gower, Glamorgan.
An Apprentice Mason before enlisting.
John was the regular Mid-Upper Gunner in the crew of F/Sgt John Douglas Lyon. He missed their trip to Stuttgart on 15 March 1944, the reason unknown, from which they failed to return in LW542. He was replaced that night by Aubrey William George Waters,who became a PoW. John returned to operations on 10 April 1944 with the Boyce crew, as their Mid-Upper, and he then became a PoW when they failed to return on 23 April.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2050/8
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2050/8

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Boyce D G N (F/S) Died
Mackay D (Sgt) Died
Schorr M (Sgt) Died
Smith P C (F/S) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 22-04-1944
End Date 23-04-1944
Takeoff Station Burn
Day/Night Raid Night (0% moon)
Operation Düsseldorf. 596 aircraft, 29 losses (4.9%). 2150 tones of bombs were dropped, causing considerable damage, mainly to the northern districts. 56 large industrial premises were hit, of which 7 were destroyed. More than 2000 homes were destroyed, 883 people killed and 593 injured, although these figures were compiled before all the missing had been dug out.
Reason for Aircraft Loss Crashed at Eppinghoven, Germany
Start new losses database search Back
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.