Stanley Gibbs, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetStanley Gibbs
Australian Albert Medal/George Cross recipient
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Hunters Hill, New South Wales, Australia
About Stanley Gibbs
- Stanley Frederick Gibbs, GC (2 January 1909 – 3 March 1991) was an Australian shipping clerk and an exchange recipient of the George Cross, the highest civil decoration for heroism in the United Kingdom and formerly in the Commonwealth.
- On 3 January 1927, the day after his eighteenth birthday, Gibbs went to the rescue of 15-year-old Mervyn Allum during a shark attack at Port Hacking, New South Wales.
- He managed to fend off the shark by striking at it with his legs and fists and, with the assistance of a friend, pulled Allum clear of the water.
- Although Alllum died from his injuries, Gibbs was publicly praised by the coroner and local community leaders for his actions, and was subsequently awarded the Albert Medal. Born in Hunters Hill, Sydney, and educated locally, Gibbs was employed by the Australian Gas Light Company (AGL) as a shipping clerk for forty-five years.
- During the Second World War, he enlisted as a private in the Second Australian Imperial Force in February 1942 and served with the 35th Battalion on home defence and patrolling duties in Sydney and Western Australia for two years.
- The battalion was deployed to New Guinea in January 1944 for service in the Huon Peninsula campaign, but Gibbs' overseas experience was short lived.
- He broke his leg on the day of arrival, and spent an extended period in hospitals in New Guinea and Australia.
- Discharged in December 1944, he returned to his work with AGL.
- In 1971, the British Government announced that the Albert Medal would be discontinued and living recipients would henceforth be regarded as holders of the George Cross.
- The change came into effect from 21 October, and living recipients were accordingly invited to exchange their medals; Gibbs took up the offer and formally became a recipient of the George Cross.
- Aged 82, Gibbs died in Bondi, New South Wales, in 1991.
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