George Gibbings – a full life
Obituary
Recently deceased George Gibbings, a famed BBC cameraman and cinematographer, had many connections with Devon and Cornwall. The Gibbings clan is thought to have originated in the Westcountry. His family came from Starcross and lived in Exmouth, where they operated The Cygnet, a small ferry plying the route between Exmouth and Starcross.
Here, George’s nephew writes about his star-studded life.
Picture: Courtesy of Gibbings family. Click on pic for a larger image.
My uncle, George Gibbings, who has died aged 90, worked as a cameraman on such well-loved TV programmes as Dixon of Dock Green, Z Cars, Doctor Who, The Forsyte Saga, The Good Life and Bergerac. Following his retirement from the BBC in 1980, his sartorial trademark of a bow tie was described, in the BBC’s house magazine Ariel, as being as famous in television circles as Robin Day’s.
After school, George worked for Newman & Sinclair, the cine-camera makers, as a technician, alongside his brothers, Jim (my father) and Reg.
He served with the RAF during the second world war, married his wartime sweetheart, Rose Self, and then joined the BBC as a film camera mechanic, in 1954. He was in charge of film maintenance workshops at Ealing Studios from 1955 until 1957 and at Alexandra Palace until 1958.
George was highly regarded by his peers and was routinely praised for his hard work and consummate skill behind a camera – often by those who were fortunate enough to appear in front of it, such as Bob Hope. His work for the BBC took him around the world and included a 1968 film about Concorde.
Before George retired, his conscientiousness and enthusiasm were commended by the corporation’s then Director-General, Ian Trethowan. George was later recruited as a freelancer to help pioneer experiments in the televising of Parliament. His generosity of spirit helped subsequent generations of film-makers to achieve greater things.
Rose died in 1982. After several weeks in hospital, George greeted his 90th birthday on 17 July, when we had a small bedside family party for him. He is survived by seven nephews, including myself.
Les Gibbings
Les has provided DCO with some more local history about the River Exe which bears upon his own family story in the area.
My great great grandfather, James Barratt (a water boatman), and his family, including my great grandmother, Elizabeth, lived at 9 New Street, Starcross in the mid 1800s. The terrace of cottages were located in the street opposite the Courtney Arms Hotel on the front. They were converted into eight units about 20 years ago.
There were a number of people who plied a local ferry trade on the Exe and across to Exmouth and he was one. The Swan was a pleasure vessel that was well known in the area. It had a unique bottom it seems, either glass or at least a hole for fishing from within the boat.
The Cygnet was a small rowing craft with a swan’s neck that I found, to my utter amazement, in the Exeter Maritime Museum in the 1990s (or was it the 1980s?) and which family folklore said was used by us.
My grandfather was called James Barratt Gibbings, as were my late father and my eldest brother, so the links are obvious. He spent most of his formative years up to adulthood in the area.
The Gibbin(g)s family lived in Littleham / Withycombe Raleigh across the river.
