Lapugnoy Military Cemetery, near Bethune
Picture courtesy of Mike & Rosemarie
Thomas
Youngest son of James & the late Rebecca Amelia
Hibbs (nee Hepburn) of 60 New Street, St Helier, Jersey.
Died of blood poisoning, aged 21 years
Educated at Victoria College, Jersey & Exeter College,
Oxford
NEWS ITEM in Jersey Evening Post of Wednesday
22 March 1916
Death of Lieutenant L B Hibbs, Jersey
Company Royal Irish Rifles. We regret to have to announce the death of Lieutenant
L B Hibbs of the Jersey Company of 7th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles. The bare
official notification has been received by the family stating that further details
will be forwarded in due course. Lieutenant Hibbs volunteered for active service
when the Mother Country's appeal was first made and left with the Jersey Contingent
on Tuesday 2 March 1915. He visited the Island some time ago prior to his Battalion's
proceeding to France. He was an Old Victorian and was highly esteemed by everyone.
We offer our condolences to the members of the family.
NEWS
ITEM in Jersey Evening Post of Monday 27 March 1916
The Late Lieutenant L B Hibbs - the Cause
of Death. Sergeant W F Marshall of the Jersey Company
Royal Irish Rifles, brother-in-law of the late Lieutenant
Hibbs, arrived in the Island on Saturday from "somewhere
in France" having been granted special leave to
bring further particulars of the death of the popular
young officer. It appears that Lieutenant Hibbs was
taken ill last weekend and was at once removed to a
Clearing Hospital, here everything possible was done
for him and two specialists summoned, but despite all
that medical science could suggest the officer did not
rally and lapsing into unconsciousness passed away on
Tuesday last. The actual cause of death being something
of a mystery, but in all probability blood poisoning,
how this was contracted being unknown. The sad news
has cast quite a gloom over the Company who attended
next day at full strength to pay their last respects
at the obsequies which were with full Military Honours.
Mr James Hibbs, the father of the deceased officer,
has received a number of letters expressing sympathy
amongst them being one from Major W O Stocker, Officer
Commanding the Jersey Company, the following being an
extract "Your son was very dear to me, we all
turned out yesterday at his burial and I can assure
it was very sad for all who knew him and has cast a
gloom over the whole Company." The Colonel
commanding the Company also wrote as follows "22
March 1916. Dear Mr Hibbs, Your son was so popular with
all the officers and men of this Battalion that we can
sincerely sympathise with you in your loss. He had already
attracted notice in the trenches by his pluck and devotion
to duty, in him I have lost a friend and a very keen
young officer who knew his work and did it well. On
behalf of the whole Battalion I offer you our deepest
sympathy. Yours very sincerely, S G FRANCIS, Lieutenant
Colonel Commanding 7th RIR." In the course
of a letter of sympathy Captain Bird the Chaplain of
the Battalion writes "We all admired your son's
great mental gifts and his absolute thoroughness and
independence of character, fearless straight forward
and noble, it will be difficult to find his like."
The family, we feel sure, have the full sympathy of
our readers in their very sad loss.
Commemorated on OV Memorial, Jersey
Commonwealth
War Graves Commission Record
