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Memorial to commemorate Guy Gibson

(Netherlands, the - North Brabant - Steenbergen)

In March 1943, Guy Gibson was seen as one of the most experienced bombbing pilots of the RAF. He was the man to lead "Operation Chastise": destroying of 6 stuws in Germany.
Wing Commanders Guy Gibson DSO DFC got the lead over a special squadron, No 617, existing out of specialy made Lancasters.
They took of in the night of 16 May 1943, Gibson was leading the first formation with the target of destroying the Möhne stuw. With the special bouncing bomb, the "Dambusters" succeeded to break the stuw. Another formation took great damage to the Sorpe stuw. But, only 8 of the 19 Lancasters returned.

Five weeks later Guy Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross by King George VI.

On 19 September 1944, while Operation Market Garden was in action, Gibson flew for a bombing in a Mosquito KB267 bomber. His navigator that night was Squadron Leader James B. Warwick DFC.
During the flight home something went wrong above south holland, the plane Gibson was flying set on fire and crashed several seconds later in Steenbergen.

The site where the plane crashed in now an industrial terrain. The streets here have names like Gibsonstreet, Warwickstreet and dambusterstreet.
In the mid '80 this area had to be cleaned for construction, so a department of the Dutch airforce searched the area for explosive's and the Mosquito KB267. They eventualy found the forewheel of the Mosquito and it stands today on the airbase Gilze-Rijen.

The monument in the municipal park of Steenbergen is a propeller of a Lancaster placed on a granite pillar. This pillar is 2 meters high, 72 cm wide and 45 cm deep.

Text on the monument:

IN REMEMBRANCE OF W/Cdv GUY GIBSON VC.BSO.DFC SQN/Cdv JIM WARWICK DFC ROYAL AIR FORCE

BOTH LOST THEIRE LIVES IN STEENBERGEN 19-9-1944

ON THE WINGS OF FREEDOM FOUGHT AND FELL THEY IN THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE FROM NOW AND OF TOMMOROW THEY WILL LIVE ON'

The monument was revealed in 1990.

Source

• Text: Ferry Stam
• Photos: Anneke Moerenhout (1,2,3,4) & Ferry Stam (5)

Related WW2Awards.com article

• Gibson, Guy Penrose