James Hibbert was born in Sheffield on 27 July 1921, the son of James and Janet Hibbert. After leaving school, he joined the Royal Navy and trained as a Telegraphist. He later joined submarines and by August 1943 he was serving in HMS SARACEN in the Mediterranean. He was Mentioned in Despatches in the London Gazette of 23 March 1943.

On 14 August 1943, SARACEN was forced to surface north-east of Bastia, Corsica, after a depth charge attack by the Italian corvettes Minerva and Euterpe. The crew of SARACEN abandoned ship and the submarine was scuttled. The crew, including James Hibbert, was taken Prisoner of War in Italy after SARACEN was sunk.

James Hibbert is reported to have died in Italy on 6 April 1944 from injuries received whilst attempting to escape. He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial on Panel 101 Column 3.