Air Marshal Sir Gerald Ernest Gibbs & Two Bars (3 September 1896 – 13 October 1992) was a senior commander in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

in the first half of the 20th century and the last RAF commander-in-chief of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

. He was educated at

Kingston Grammar School Kingston Grammar School is an independent co-educational day school in Kingston upon Thames, England. The school was founded by Royal Charter in 1561 but can trace its roots back to at least the 13th century.

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he scored 10 victories (all in the

S.E.5 The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the ...

biplane), becoming a double

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

. He retired to

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

in 1984.Gerald Gibbs, Harare Obituaries - 1992

References

Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Mshl Sir Gerald Gibbs

* Harare Obituaries 1896 births 1992 deaths Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Kingston Grammar School People from South Norwood Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Flying Corps officers British Army personnel of World War I British emigrants to Zimbabwe Military personnel from Surrey Wiltshire Regiment officers Chiefs of Air Staff (India) {{RAF-bio-stub