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Obituary
Squadron Leader Peter Gibbs



Peter Gibbs died peacefully in Doncaster Hospital following a heart attack on the evening of Saturday 28th July. He was 83.

He married Pauline to form a partnership which has lasted over 50 years. They have three children, two sons, Colin & Graham & the youngest, a daughter, the most famous to the world of dogs, Marita. Peter had four grandchildren.

During the Second World War he was the Leader of 207 Squadron flying bombers over Germany & later saw active service in the Far East.

The first Montravia champion was Ch Montravia The Trojan, a male black miniature. He is behind the pedigrees of many of the dogs in the ring today. Peter used to do the preparation for the showring whilst Pauline was the handler. Nearly all the dogs were in Pauline's name, then Marita started to show & present the dogs. Now all three of them have a separate interest in the world famous prefix.

Peter became the "backroom boy" doing alot of work behind the scenes. He used to drive Pauline & Marita to the shows complete with dogs & on many occasions in a motor home.

Even as recently as Border Union in June this year he drove the return journey, in the day, with Pauline & the dogs in his beloved Volvo.

There were champions in all three sizes of Poodles plus Bichons & Afghans. Most of these have been campaigned by Marita with Peter & Pauline looking on. He was always to be seen by the ringside armed with a catalogue. After judging he would mark up from the award boards & the results would be scrutinized for future reference.

The two most famous dogs carrying the Montravia prefix were the two Crufts BIS winner, Ch Montravia Kaskarak Hitari (Afghan) & Ch Montravia Tommy-Gun (Std Poodle) It was father, of course, who had to try & get Marita plus dog to the T.V. studios for various interviews & the required trip to the "Blue Peter" studios armed with the BIS trophy.

Peter didn't judge at Championship Shows on many occasions though he was honoured to judge at The Standard Poodle Club Ch Show. At Three Counties in 1982 the three family members were the three poodle judges - Marita (Stds) Peter (Mins) & Pauline (Toys) He also judged abroad.

He was a keen gardener & spent time in his gardens which he tended with loving care at Sentry Hill, Weirwater and the Halstead.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him & our sympathies go to all the family.
The funeral will be held at 1.30pm on Wednesday 7th August at Rose Hill Crematorium, Doncaster. This is just south of Doncaster Racecourse on the A638 Bawtry Road.

Liz Holmes-Leak



It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Sqd. Ldr. Peter Gibbs one of the the true gentlemen of the world, not just the world of dogs. It has been my pleasure to have known the Gibbs family since the sixties and watched the success of their prefix Montravia in several breeds and this has included Best in Show at Crufts twice, with two different breeds. Through all this Peter was the rock they relied on. He was kind and gentle with everyone and it was my privilege to have served on the committee of the Bichon Frise Club of Great Britain when Peter was our excellent Chairman for several years. Here he showed another side to his character and conducted our meetings with military precision.

A lot was accomplished in those years and the Club thrived under his leadership. Eventually the B.F.C.G.B. was able to honour him and he was our President untill his death on Saturday.

He will be a hard act to follow and we will greatly miss his support which he willingly gave right up to attending our recent show and A.G.M. To Pauline and the family I would like to extend the deepest sympathy of my family and the Officers, Committee and members of The Bichon Frise Club of Great Britain.

Eilish Banks
Vice president BFCGB