1464954, Flight Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner), Cyril GIDMAN D.F.M.
Aged 35
Corpus non animum muto - I change my body, not my spirit
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Born in Liverpool on June 14th 1909, son of William and Mary GIDMAN (née PHILLIPS) of 91 Whitland Road, Liverpool.
He married Florence Alice CUTHBERT [16-6-1914], daughter of John [1-2-1880](headlad in stable) and Florence A G.[11-1-1885] of 3 Rose Terrace, All Saints Road, Newmarket, in Newmarket, in Q3-1940. In the 1939 register his father William [19-1-1872] a retired docker and mother Mary [26-5-1873] were at 1 Gayhurst Crescent, Liverpool. His wife to be ( a dress maker) was with her parents at 3 Rose Terrace, together with her sister Maud E (later married John Stevens). a dairy manageress. |
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Gazetted for the Distinguished Flying Medal on August 18th 1944. (citation not available yet) Lancaster Mk I, LM284 was delivered to 57 Squadron at East Kirkby on 29th July 1944. It crashed in The Wash on a post-delivery air test crewed by a 55 Base Test Crew consisting mainly of 207 Squadron personnel. When lost this aircraft had a total of 2 hours. It was presumed lost in The Wash. The body of F/S Gidman was washed onto a beach near Brancaster, Norfolk and brought for burial to his home town of Newmarket. The rest of the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. The whole crew were:-:- Pilot: F/O D.L.Davies DFC; Navigator: F/S A.H.Allison DFM; Bomb Aimer: P/O D.J.Scuffins DFM; Mid Upper Gunner: P/O B.O Hunt ; Rear Gunner: P/O F.W.Logan DFC RCAF; Wireless Op/Air Gunner:F/S C.Gidman DFM The three DFM recipients, all from 207 Squadron, had their awards published August 1944 |
Cyril and crew when previously part of 207 Squadron. 'Arthur' the Engineer appears not to have been on the fatal flight
