Pilot Officer, RAFVR
Born: July 29th 1919
Died: January 4th 1941
Age at Death: 21
Killed in action, Brest, January 4th 1941
Member of the Ashburton winning team 1936
Empire Marksman 1st class
Headmaster's Prize for Art 1937
Passed entrance examination to the Architectural Association with distinction in 1937
School shooting 8 1936-1937
Philip was born on 29 July 1919, the son of William Gibbs, a schoolmaster, and his wife Evelyn. At the College he was an extremely good shot, competing for the Shooting VIII and winning an Empire Marksman 1st Class award. Had he survived the war he would probably have become a successful architect: he was awarded a distinction in his exam for the Architectural Association School of Architecture.
During the war Gibbs flew the Bristol Blenheim light bomber for 53 Squadron, which was part of Coastal Command. In January 1941 the squadron attacked enemy warships in Brest in German-occupied France. Gibbs was shot down and his body was never found. He is commemorated at the Runnymede Air Forces Memorial.