[citation needed] He left Oriel College to join the Army, where a sergeant major referred to Hibbert as "Christopher Robin" (of Winnie the Pooh books) based upon his youthful looks.
During World War II, Hibbert served as an infantry officer in the London Irish Rifles regiment in Italy, reaching the rank of captain.
[3][4] From 1945 to 1959, he was a partner in a firm of land agents and auctioneers,[1] and began his writing career in 1957.
[3] He died on 21 December 2008, in Henley, from bronchial pneumonia at the age of 84.
[1][3][4] He was cremated, after a humanist ceremony in Oxford, on 2 January 2009.