Grace Winnifred Gibberd (1900-2001) was born in London, England and was a missionary in Kaifeng, China for the Anglican Church of Canada from 1928-1945.  After returning to Canada for a year furlough in 1946, Gibberd decided not to return for health reasons.  She worked in an office at Blenheim in 1948, and then in London from 1949-1954 at the Diocese of Huron Synod office as Bishop’s secretary and then Director of the Book Centre.  In 1954, she married Reginald Percival Dan Hurford.

Fonds consists of a copy of a typescript written by Grace Gibberd in 1945 entitled “In Spite of War : a partial account of how some people carried on from July 1937 to August 1945, during the Sino-Japanese War”.  It describes the activities and daily life of missionaries in China during the Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945).  Included is a photocopy of her typed manuscript “How we went to Macedonia: a diary of twenty days of adventurous travel in Honan, China from Oct. 10 to Nov. 18th, 1940”.  This manuscript is illustrated within the body of the text with photographs taken during this trip that Gibberd took with Archdeacon Andrew, his wife, and Greta Clark in Honan.  Several images show how transportation by rickshaw or boat was hampered by the flooding of the Yellow River.

• Title based on contents of fonds.
• Typescript copy retyped in 1975.
• Original manuscript fragile.
• Acquired from Mrs. R.P.D. Hurford through D.H. Hughes in 1975.

The photograph from the Grace W. Gibberd fonds showing the consecration of Philip Lindel Tsen, Kaifeng, China, 1935 is located at P8474.