GIBBES, Augustus Rodney
| Service Number: | 267505 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Wing Commander |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | 1915, place not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Italy, 16 August 1943 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Malta Memorial, Malta |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Malta Memorial, Floriana |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Wing Commander, 267505 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Honoured Distinguished Flying Cross | |
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Wing Commander, 267505 |
Help us honour Augustus Rodney Gibbes's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Born near Sydney in 1915, Wing Commander Augustus Rodney ‘Rod’ Gibbes enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force in 1936. He transferred to the Royal Air Force in July 1937 and completed a rare three operational tours during his service. During one of his operational flights, Rod was forced to ditch an aircraft off the Belgian coast after it was caught in combat. The crew took to a dinghy and amazingly three days later they arrived in Margate, Kent having paddled their way back. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1941 for his “persistent determination and outstanding courage, often in the face of extremely unpleasant conditions.” Rod’s outstanding service came to an end when his aircraft was shot down on 16 August 1943.
[extracted from CWGC publicity Material]
He was 28 and the son of Augustus John Osborne Gibbes and Ann Gibbes; husband of Joan Mary Gibbes, of Northbridge, New South Wales, Australia.
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