William Ibbett

Commander William Ibbett (1886-1975) was an English submariner, and later a BBC Radio broadcaster.

Ibbett was born on 21 June 1886 at Oxted, Surrey, England. After growing up in Wiltshire, he joined the Royal Navy, serving during World War I, including an attachment to the Russian submarine service, during which the October Revolution occurred, and until 1922, then re-enlisting in World War II. In between times, his various jobs included tea-planting in Ceylon and work on a whaling ship in the Antarctic.

He appeared in the BBC in the 1930s, and, during the 1950s, appeared regularly on the BBC radio programme Woman's Hour, reminiscing about his career. He was also featured on a 1969 BBC record, Voices From Woman's Hour Past And Present. His radio work was credited simply as "Commander Ibbett".

He appeared as a "castaway" on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 21 October 1957.

He died on 28 June 1975 at Burgess Hill, West Sussex.