Having what was designated an essential skill, Gibson was refused permission to serve in combat with the British Army. The Army lent him to the Ministry of Munitions, for whom in 1916 he went to the United States as Director General of shell and gun supply. He returned to the UK in 1917 and became controller of Aircraft Requirements and Review. For his services to his country Gibson was appointed an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1918.[1]
After the war Gibson specialised in reservoirs and water supply. In the 1920s he designed the Queen Mary Reservoir at Stanwell, Middlesex, which when completed in 1925 the largest water storage reservoir in the World. While working there he bought Stanwell Place, which came with 90 acres (36 ha) of land, and the adjoining Stanhope and Hammonds farms, which between them totalled 261 acres (106 ha).[1]
Gibson was Pearson's site agent for the Sennar Dam in Sudan.[4] In 1933 he entered into partnership with Pauling & Co.,[5] forming Gibson and Pauling (Foreign) Ltd in 1933 to build the Jebel Aulia Dam on the White Nile, also in Sudan, which was the largest dam in the world at that time.[1] After completing the Jebel Aulia Dam, Gibson became managing director of Pauling & Co, a position he held until his death in March 1947.
After the agreement to proceed with a design for the Mulberry harbours for the 1944 Normandy landings, Gibson created the detailed design for the Phoenix breakwaters.[1] Under the direction of Major General Sir Harold Augustus Wernher, Gibson oversaw the fabrication of the Concrete Phoenix Caissons across Southern England and created the special 'Winterization' process to safeguard the breakwaters during the winter of 1944.
Post-war career
After the war Gibson decided due to his age to change his professional focus, designing in collaboration with the British Iron and Steel Federation, two prototype steel framed prefab houses to house families made homeless by enemy action. Eventually more than 30,000 BISF houses were built.[1]
Grave of Sir John Watson Gibson and Lady Lilian
Death and burial
Gibson died aged 61 in 1947 and is buried in Stanwell Burial Ground.[1] In 1948 his estate sold Stanwell Place with its residual 22 acres (9 ha) to King Faisal II of Iraq. In 1956 Faisal II still owned Stanwell Place and Gibson's sons still owned the residual 17 acres (7 ha) of Stanhope farm.[3]
Gibson's widow Lady Lilian died in 1962 and is buried with him.[1]
Legacy
In 2015, the Happy Landing pub in Clare Road, Stanwell was renamed the "Sir John Gibson".[6]
