Tony Hibbert (British Army officer) facts for kids

James Anthony Hibbert MBE MC (born December 6, 1917 – died October 12, 2014) was a brave British Army officer. He fought in many important battles during the Second World War. His military career started in 1935 and ended in 1947. He was part of the Battle of France, the North African Campaign, the Italian Campaign, and Operation Market Garden. After these big battles, he led a special unit called T-Force in something called Operation Eclipse, which happened just before the war ended in Europe.

After leaving the army, Hibbert worked in his family's business, which sold wine and spirits. He made the business much bigger and more varied. He tried to retire in the early 1970s, but he couldn't sit still! Then, in 1981, he and his wife bought Trebah Garden in Cornwall. They worked hard to bring this beautiful garden back to its amazing condition from before the war.

In 2009, after being married for almost sixty years, Hibbert's wife passed away. Five years later, he died peacefully at home.

Early Life and Joining the Army

James Anthony Hibbert was born in Chertsey, a town in Surrey, England. His father was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps. James decided to join the British Army while he was in Germany. He was working there as an apprentice, learning about wine for his family's business. He saw that Germany was getting ready for war.

Because of this, he went back to England in 1935. He applied to the Royal Military Academy, a famous military school. His father was not happy with his choice. He thought Germany wouldn't start another war after losing the First World War.

In January 1938, Hibbert officially joined the Royal Artillery. This group uses big guns in battle. On September 9, 1939, less than ten days after Germany invaded Poland, he arrived in Cherbourg, France. He was part of the British Expeditionary Force.

During the Battle of Dunkirk, he was in charge of a group of artillery guns. His team defended the northern edge of the Allied forces for four days. By June 1, 1940, he had almost no ammunition left. He had to destroy his guns so the enemy couldn't use them. He was then rescued from Dunkirk on a tugboat. His brave actions during this time were noted by his commanders.

Joining the Paratroopers

In October 1940, Hibbert joined a new special unit. It was called No. 2 Commando. This was the very first unit of paratroopers, soldiers who jump from planes. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, had asked for these new units after the difficult battles in France.

This unit changed its name several times. In November 1940, it became No. 11 Special Air Service Battalion. Then, in September of the next year, it was named the 1st Parachute Battalion. Soon, it became part of the new 1st Parachute Brigade. This brigade was part of the larger 1st Airborne Division.

Hibbert served in the North African Campaign and the Italian Campaign. In North Africa, he became a staff officer, helping to plan operations. In July 1944, after attending a special training college, he became a major for the 1st Parachute Brigade.

Battle of Arnhem and Escape

On September 17, 1944, a very important and difficult mission began. It was called Operation Market Garden. On the first day, Hibbert's Brigade Headquarters team and the 2nd Parachute Battalion reached the Arnhem road bridge. This bridge was their main goal.

The plan was to hold the bridge for only two days. But Hibbert's group, along with other parts of the 1st Airborne Division, held the northern end of the bridge for three days. They faced very strong attacks from the enemy. While leading a small group of soldiers away from the bridge, Hibbert was captured by the Germans.

He managed to escape from a truck that was taking him and other prisoners to a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. The Dutch Resistance, a group of brave Dutch people fighting against the Germans, helped him hide. Most British and Polish troops who survived the Battle of Arnhem were rescued in Operation Berlin.

Hibbert and other officers from his brigade then planned Operation Pegasus. In this operation, over 100 hidden soldiers, including Hibbert, escaped from the area a month later. They crossed the Rhine river at night. They were met by American soldiers who had come to rescue them. During this rescue, Hibbert's leg was broken in a jeep accident. He later said that spending five months in the hospital was a "thoroughly unsatisfying climax" to a "thoroughly unsatisfactory battle."

Operation Eclipse and the End of the War

After the tough battles in Operation Market Garden, the 1st Airborne Division didn't fight much more in the war. But Hibbert's part in the war continued. In April 1945, he left the hospital, still using crutches.

On the morning of May 5, as part of Operation Eclipse, he led a special unit called T-Force. They traveled from Lübeck to the German port city of Kiel. This force included hundreds of men from the British Army and Royal Navy.

Swedish intelligence reports had suggested that the Red Army (Soviet Union's army) might try to take Denmark. This would have given the Soviet Union a port that didn't freeze in winter. Hibbert's force helped stop this. By taking control of Kiel and German scientific bases, they prevented the Soviets from moving further. They also kept the Soviets from getting Kiel's important port on the Baltic Sea.

Even though German forces in the area had surrendered the night before, the German Navy officers in Kiel didn't believe it. German soldiers north of the Kiel Canal also didn't want to give up their weapons. Still, Hibbert and his small force took control of the city, even though there were tens of thousands of German fighters there. No other Allied forces arrived until May 7.

On V-E Day, May 8, Hibbert was arrested by the British military. His advance to Kiel had seemed to break the surrender rules. However, he had been following orders from a higher command. The next day, he was cleared of any blame and released. Hibbert later said that his military career, which he found "rather frustrating," ended with "a certain artistic symmetry." He had been arrested on the first day of the war for a car accident and cleared. So, he spent both the first and last days of the war under arrest.

Life After the Army

In 1947, Hibbert left the Army due to his injuries. He went back to his family's wine and spirits business, CG Hibbert, which was struggling. He found the business world "as exciting as war with no prisoners taken." He worked hard and became the managing director. He expanded the company into new areas, like canning soft drinks. He even helped bring the ring-pull can (the kind you use to open soda cans) to the United Kingdom. He received the Queen's Award for Industry for his work.

In 1960, Hibbert started the Salterns Sailing Club on his land in Lymington. This club is run by and for young people, with some adult help. He was also a sailor himself. He competed around the world in a type of sailboat called the International Moth Class, which he helped create.

Hibbert tried to retire two times. His first retirement in 1972 was to Devon, where he tried to live as a farmer. But it didn't suit him. For his second retirement in 1981, he and his wife wanted a house with "no work, no worries and no responsibilities." They bought Trebah in Cornwall. They dreamed of "the quiet pleasures of retirement, mornings spent drinking gin on the terrace and summer afternoons sailing and fishing from the beach."

Eight days after they moved in, they learned that they had bought one of England's most beautiful and important gardens! What started as a three-year plan to fix the garden turned into a decades-long project. Hibbert said these were the happiest years of their lives.

In 2006, Hibbert was given an MBE award. This was for his great work in helping tourism and sailing.

Hibbert's wife, Eira Bradshaw Hibbert, passed away in 2009.

Also in 2009, Hibbert gave his Military Cross medal to the Hartenstein Museum in Oosterbeek. He did this to honor the brave Dutch people who helped and hid soldiers from the 1st Airborne Division after the Battle of Arnhem. He had received this medal in 1945 for his actions at Arnhem Bridge and his escape after the battle.

In 2010, the city of Kiel in Germany honored Hibbert. They gave him their Great Seal for keeping the city from being captured by the Soviets at the end of the Second World War. Hibbert thought it was special to be honored by both sides of the war.

James Anthony Hibbert died at his home on October 12, 2014, when he was 96 years old. At the time of his death, Trebah Garden was one of Cornwall's biggest and most popular gardens. The Hibberts had created the Trebah Garden Trust and given the garden to it. The garden had opened to the public in 1987, after six years of their hard work.

Hibbert's funeral was held on November 3, 2014, at the church in Mawnan Smith, where Trebah Garden is located. An officer from the 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment noted that Hibbert's legacy lives on. There is a special award called the Hibbert Sword, given each year to the most promising officer in the airborne forces.

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