Gudrun Sibbons

Barbara (Gudrun) Sibbons was born in Annaberg, Silesia, Germany. After leaving school her art studies took her to Berlin, Breslau and Hamburg. Her art training was interrupted by the start of the war during which time she served as a nurse. She was responsible for searchlight batteries which she would visit on her bicycle in case the operators were injured. Towards the end of the war she was posted in Berlin and managed to escape the invasion of Russian troops in a truck. She eventually surrendered tot he British forces and was made to work on a farm, where she slept in a barn, until the end of the war.

Her father was a colonel in the German army. Both he and Gudrun's mother were killed during the war. She lost contact with her brother but eventually caught up with him 18 months after the war.

Two years after the war she found employment in Hamburg as a doctor's secretary. It was in Hamburg that she met Bill Sibbons, totally by chance, on two different occasions. Bill was an officer in the RAF. In 1949 they came to London and were married.

At first she worked as a laboratory assistant and painted as a hobby with her husband who was a recognised professional portrait painter. It was not long until she started to sell her painting making her debut by exhibiting on Sundays at Hyde Park railings.

Some years later they left London for the peace and quiet of the countryside where they purchased an isolated cottage with no mains supply: their water came from a well in the garden. As well as painting, Bill became something of an expert fly-fisherman and a book was written about him by Clive Graham-Ranger called "Fishing with Bill Sibbons".

During the many years they spent together at their cottage Gudrun flourished as an artist, and became highly sought after.

Sadly in December 2000 Bill died following a stroke several months earlier.

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