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This story has been entered on this site by Adam on behalf of Jack Gibson and they fully understand the conditions.

My name is Jack Gibson, I was originally called John lived through the Second World War and fought for my country for a good part of my young life. I had my name changed to Jack in the war and the name stuck with me.
I began my journey through the war at the age of 19 in 1939. I joined the Royal Navy even though many of my close friends I knew well went into the Territorial Army.
At this point I was still working but the war started and I went to the main Naval Barrack in Chatham. After this, I joined the HMS Cyclopse and a good opening experience of the war with this ship.

In 1941, I left HMS Cyclopse and joined HMS Liverpool and went into Murmansk Convoy in Russia, then Scapa flow in the North of Scotland and then on to Gibraltar and did a Malta Convoy. The ship was damaged by an Italian Aircraft and left the convoy. It then made its way back to Gibraltar to get repaired, and later came back to England.

I left this ship after that unfortunate incident and joined the HMS Goathland which was a destroyer and operated in the English Channel until D-Day. Two weeks later, the ship caught a mine and was damaged for good. I headed back to the barracks and soon, the war was over in ’45.

I left the Navy in August 1945 and went back to my job in Newcastle at Jackson tailors. I met my wife Sarah McCloy and soon got married, who is now called Sarah Gibson.

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