Blue Plaque for Guy Gibson

Guy Gibson V.C. (1918-1944), was commemorated with an English Heritage Blue Plaque on 26 June 2006 at 2pm at 32 Aberdeen Place, London, NW8.  

As a leader of the Dambusters Raid, Gibson is one of the most celebrated heroes of the Second World War, and Sir Winston Churchill called him “one of the most splendid of all our fighting men.”  The success of the mission was immortalised in the classic British film “The Dam Busters” (1954) with Richard Todd in the lead role as Gibson.

Guy Gibson joined the RAF in 1936 and by the outbreak of the Second World War was serving as a bomber pilot with 83 Squadron.  He completed a tour of 37 operations and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in July 1940.  Posted as a night fighter pilot to 29 Squadron, Gibson destroyed at least three enemy bombers and was promoted Squadron Leader and awarded a bar to his DFC.  In April 1942, he returned to Bomber Command and assumed command of 106 Squadron as Wing Commander.  The success achieved by the Squadron under his leadership earned Gibson the Distinguished Service Order in November 1942 and a bar in March 1943.

In 1943, Gibson was selected to form and command 617 Squadron which was tasked to destroy the major dams of western Germany. The mission had to be carried out in May, when both the moon and dams would be full, and the Squadron had two months to develop new and specialist skills essential if the mission were to succeed.

On the night of 16-17 May 1943, Gibson led 19 Avro Lancaster bombers to the Ruhr and, having dropped his bomb, he flew alongside other attacking aircraft to draw enemy fire.  Once the Möhne dam was breached, Gibson led another successful attack on the Eder dam.  The devastation caused by these raids was extensive although the Germans managed to rebuild the dams in a relatively short time.  In addition extensive press coverage provided a tremendous boost to the Allied war effort. 

After the raid, Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross in recognition of the leadership and valour he demonstrated as a master bomber.  Now considered to be too valuable to be risked on operations, Gibson accompanied Winston Churchill to Canada and conducted a lecture tour of both Canada and the United States.  When asked whether Churchill addressed him by his first name, Gibson replied, "No. He calls me Dam-buster."

From December 1943 until the following summer, Gibson was posted to various staff and administrative roles in England and it was during this period that he wrote his well-known account of the Dams Raid, "Enemy Coast Ahead" (1944, published 1946).  Desperate to return to operational flying, Gibson seized an opportunity to appoint himself as Master Bomber for an attack on Rheydt and Mönchengladbach in Germany.  While returning from the mission, Gibson’s plane crashed in Holland near Steenbergen, where he is buried.  The cause of the plane crash remains undetermined. 

Guy Gibson and his wife Eve moved to the flat at 32 Aberdeen Place in the summer of 1942 and it is the only address in London at which Gibson is known to have lived.   It was at Aberdeen Place that Gibson spent his weekends writing "Enemy Coast Ahead". Today, he continues to be remembered as an exceptional pilot as well as a war hero.