Obituary – John Gibbons

We were saddened to hear of the passing of our former player John Gibbons, who passed away of Coronavirus on Sunday at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich. He was 95.

Born in Charlton on 8 April, 1925, John began his career at Dartford in 1947 before being swiftly picked up by Queens Park Rangers, where he made nine first team appearances, scoring twice.

In May, 1949, he transferred to Ipswich Town before arriving at White Hart Lane in March, 1950. A centre-forward, he played for our reserve and 'A' teams alongside the likes of Tommy Harmer and Mel Hopkins, while also spending time with members of Arthur Rowe's title-winning side of 1950/51, although he never made a first team appearance for us.

John left us in 1953 to join our former nursery club, Gravesend & Northfleet, where he was top scorer in his first full season and remained until 1956, before returning to Dartford to finish his playing career. He subsequently worked for a pump hire firm in Charlton for 25 years until 1983, before becoming a porter and latterly a chargehand at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. He retired in 1990, aged 65.

We extend our condolences to John's family and friends at this sad time.