[1] At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Hibbin began working as an investigator for the Mass-Observation (MO) research organisation.
She went on to write studies on antisemitism in London's East End, conditions in the city's air-raid shelters, and the role of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF).
[3] She worked as an observer in the East End throughout the early part of the war, engaging citizens in casual conversation to ascertain morale and the effectiveness of the government's security measures.
[5] She resigned from the job in 1941, out of protest at what she saw as the ministry's manipulation of her reports, and once the opportunity came for women to enlist in military units on the home front.
And now suddenly there was this possibility of joining the WAAF ... [We] knew we would learn a trade, we would travel, and ... just the mere fact of leaving home meant a lot, being free from the chores that were expected of women ..."[7] She worked as a mechanic on Spitfire fighter planes at RAF Hendon, north of London.
[9] In a June 1964 article on the critical reception given to The Finest Hours, a documentary about Winston Churchill, The New York Times reported: "Nina Hibbin of the Daily Worker took exception to the scant mention of the part the Soviet Union played in the war.
"[10] Her review of Come Back, Africa – in which she described the film as "the most damning indictment of apartheid and the pass system that I have ever seen" and asked, "How long are we going to allow these appalling conditions to exist?"
[11] She described Lindsay Anderson's If ... as a "devastating view ... of the cruel traditions which go into the shaping of the ruling class" and judged it "the best and most significant film of the Sixties".
[1] Hibbin became the first-ever films officer for the Yorkshire Arts Association, a role in which she awarded grants to local filmmakers.
[9] Hibbin's directorship nevertheless led to healthy audience numbers at the Tyneside,[9] a trend that continued under her successor, Sheila Whitaker.