Is he less of a hero if the crash was an accident rather than by enemy action? It's always struck me as a great pity that wartime lives lost due to training/accident/friendly fire seem to be valued less highly.

That's not at all the case from my end, SO.

Most military personnel are heroes. I say 'most' because I don't want to include murdering scum like Alexander Blackman, who consciously break the rules and then try to cover their tracks while at the same time bringing the armed forces in to disrepute. Although that's a different topic.

Right. I've found the most detailed account of the incident that I know of. Its in Stephen Flower book 'Barnes Walllis' Bombs', which I think was re-published as 'One hell of a bomb' (which is also the name of a chapter in the book). The story of Gibson's last flight is at the end chapter of the book. He was the 54 Base (Coningsby / Woodhall Spa / Methringham) Ops Officer at the time. His first official flight in a Mossie was on 31st Aug 44 and he had a total of 11 hours on the type. Jim Warwick was an experienced Nav with a DFC having completed 27 missions with 49 Sqn on Lancasters and after a short spell at 1661 HCU, was posted to 54 Base HQ at Coningsby. Warwick had never flown in a Mossie. The Master Bomber role for the mission included being the primary marker with Red TI's. Both the primary aircraft that Gibson was suppose to fly (KB213) and the spare (serial unknown) which were loaded with Red TI's were not used (in the case of the spare, Gibson had refused to take it as he considered that the aircraft was not up to scratch) and Gibson finally took the aircraft allocated to Sqn Ldr Mallinder (KB267) after a swap. KB267 was loaded with Green TI's which were removed, but there was no time to load Reds which Gibson was to have used to mark the AP, so he went without them. It was the 627 Sqn Senior Technical Officer (W/O A Webb), who was giving Warwick the cockpit brief from within the aircraft when Gibson arrived, curtly ordered the STO out the aircraft and Webb was the last man to see either of them face to face as he closed the hatch. Gibson and another Red primary marker got to the target just as the flare illumination force opened the attack, with Gibson able to see the AP, but not mark it and the vice-versa for the other Mossie. Gibson switched on his nav lights over the target to get the other Mossie to formate with him and both aircraft dived onto the AP which was successfully marked. Gibson then carried out the Master Bomber role and then headed for home. En route back to the UK, the crew of a 61 Sqn Lancaster heard Gibson come up on VHF to say that he had lost an engine and some time shortly after that he crashed. Most of this story came from W/O Webb, who according to Flower, who was a bit pee'd off with a rumour that Gibson's aircraft had been sabotaged by the ground crew of 627 Sqn due to a general dislike of Gibson across the Sqn (They knew him as 'the boy emperor'). The change of aircraft at short notice shoots that rumour down. The fact that a scratch crew (Gibson and Warwick had never flown together), with minimal to no experience on an aircraft that had to be flown (the Mossie was a good aircraft but did have some vices) and on a quite difficult mission with all of the issues that happened before take off was a recipe for the disaster that eventuality happened.

Interestingly, Maori TV in NZ showed the Dambusters at the weekend - presumably they had done some research. I also hasten to add that it was shown with the original soundtrack intact.:)

There was also another, dare I say it, more important operation going on in Holland at the time. 17th. to 26th. September.

It only serves to prove that our heroes (and I emphatically place Gibson in that category) are rarely straightforward. I recall an interview with his WOp and it was clear that he disliked had Gibson intensely.

It's also unfair to charge him with hypocrisy over the civilian deaths which he knew were the result of the bombing campaign. Indeed if anyone is guilty of hypocrisy it's those in the present day who seek to portray the brutal carnage of the bomber offensive as some sort of chivalrous encounter

it would be nice if all heroes were perfect - but they are as human as the rest of us

Gibson drew a lot of like and dislike in equal measures. I am not here to judge. I guess a lot of it was to do with his upbringing and the class system that existed at that time. He had done his bit and really Harris should never have given in to him. (as Harris later admitted)