My mother’s family used to live in Lewisham – East London – until the Nazi German Luftwaffe (and one or two V-Is and V-IIs) destroyed their street (and everything they owned) during the September, 1940 ‘Blitz’ on Britain’s working-class populations. Hitler had the idea that if he bombed enough ordinary people – then no one would join the British Armed Forces to put a stop to his shenanigans! But I digress. Due to this inconvenience, the Gibson family was evacuated to a number of villages surrounding the ancient City of Oxford. This how my mother – Diane ‘Gibson’ – came to be born in Oxford and how I – Adrian Chan-Wyles – came to be born in Oxford after my mother was married. Our branch of the Gibson family is recorded as having been ‘rope-makers’ and are believed to have originally migrated out of Scotland hundreds of years ago – and to have ‘walked’ down through England until they eventually settled in East London. This is a journey that took decades and involved small clusters settling here and there. Featured is out Scottish Tartan – but as ‘Gibson’ is of Viking heritage – the Vikings settled in both England and Scotland at different times and during the centuries prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066 CE. As the Normans were Vikings who had settled in France – this adds yet another level of transmission. The ‘Son of Gibb’ was thought to have been a mighty Viking warrior!
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 