John Gibson, a pioneer of traffic policing in Scotland who rose to the rank of Superintendent in the Ayrshire Constabulary, has died suddenly after a short illness. He was one of the generation of professional policemen whose early careers were interrupted by the Second World War, in which he served with distinction as a tank driver in the advance on Berlin. During a lull in the fighting of the Battle of Caen in 1944, Gibson halted his Sherman tank to recharge the battery and take on water at a deserted farmhouse. The following morning, the crew were horrified to see a German Tiger tank had stopped there to do exactly the same. Despite having the capability to destroy the Sherman, the Germans did not engage them and both tanks later withdrew to their lines, discretion having proved the better part of valour. Extract, The Herald Scotland, 14 Jul 1998
John Gibson, a pioneer of traffic policing in Scotland who rose to the rank of Superintendent in the Ayrshire Constabulary, has died suddenly after a short illness.
He was one of the generation of professional policemen whose early careers were interrupted by the Second World War, in which he served with distinction as a tank driver in the advance on Berlin.
During a lull in the fighting of the Battle of Caen in 1944, Gibson halted his Sherman tank to recharge the battery and take on water at a deserted farmhouse. The following morning, the crew were horrified to see a German Tiger tank had stopped there to do exactly the same.
Despite having the capability to destroy the Sherman, the Germans did not engage them and both tanks later withdrew to their lines, discretion having proved the better part of valour.
John is on the list of those who attended the 23H reunion in 1959.