Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 03 June 1932

Bumping into Henry Bibbing

Rushing into the post office the other day I bumped into Mr. Henry Bibbing and, needless to say, got the worst of the bump. It occurred to me, as doubtless is will occur to many, that he has not been seen in Wombwell for a long time.

Mr. Bibbing, whose tanned countenance was wearing that expression of Pickwickian benignity that we remember him by, explained why. He has found a better ‘ole; better in the health sense. For the past eighteen mouths he has been staying with a younger son, Billy Bibbing, who is manager of a business at Clevedon, Somerset. He looks remarkably well. Asked if he was happy at Clevedon he replied “Aye lad, happy anywhere.” And I believe lie would be.

There are not many people in Wombwell who do not know Mr. Ribbing, but it is not perhaps so well known that he is Wombwell’s senior tradesman. He still regards himself as domiciled in Wombwell and he still pays rates in the town and has the “South Yorkshire Times” posted to him every week. If his journal failed to reach him on Saturday morning he would be here Monday to find out why. A native of Barnsley. Mr. Ribbing commenced his working life nearly sixty years ago as a shop boy in the grocery store of Mr. George Kitchen May Day Green, Barnsley. Shortly afterwards the business was aquired by the Brady Webster family and Mr. Bibbing remained on to rise to the position of manager.

Thirty years ago he opened Mr. Brady Webster’s first branch in Wombwell and has lived to see the undertaking spread until there are now nine branches.

He retired about three years ago. It was quite a pleasant surprise for Mr. Bibbing when Mr. Tom Hinchclifie, another old Wombwell grocer who had wandered Somerset way, dropped in to see him. “Well,” said Mr. Hinchcliffe. after the pair had talked over ell times, “you ought to live to be a hundred here.” Mr. Bibbing thinks that is quite a modest estimate.