Ivy Pretoria May Hibberd was born in the spring of 1900 in the Wiltshire village of Wylye. One of nine children, she was the daughter of bricklayer Edwin Hibberd and his wife, Elizabeth.

There is little information available about young Ivy’s life. She enlisted in the Women’s Royal Air Force on 14th October 1918, and was sent off to Handsworth College in Birmingham for training.

Member Hibberd’s time in service was to be tragically brief. Having contracted a combination of influenza and pneumonia, she died on 6th November 1918. She was just 18 years of age and passed away just over three weeks after signing up.

Ivy Pretoria May Hibberd’s body was taken back to Wiltshire for burial. She was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Mary’s Church in her home village, Wylye.

---