Wilfrid Wanostrocht Giblin was born on 12 May 1872 at Hobart, the youngest of nine children born to Thomas Giblin and Mary Ann Giblin (née Worthy). On 6 September 1899, Wilfrid married Gertrude Muriel Maxwell, and they had four children: Thomas, Nancy, Elizabeth, and Edward. Before the outbreak of the First World War, Giblin was working as a surgeon.

On 3 October 1914, Giblin enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at the age of 42. He was appointed to the 1st Australian Clearing Hospital or 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station, as it was known later, and embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Kyarra on 5 December 1914. Giblin disembarked at Alexandria in January 1915, where he continued his training and engaged in preparations for the Gallipoli campaign.

Along with Major J. Corbin, Lieutenant-Colonel Giblin received Mention in Despatches for his efforts at Gallipoli, treating and evacuating the wounded from 25 to 29 April. Giblin’s recommendation for the award, records that they “landed at 10am on 25-4-15 on beach and worked continuously for 48 hours with zeal and efficiency under the very worst conditions ...The Australian Clearing Station evacuated nearly all the wounded from Anzac Cove.”

On 10 May 1915, Giblin contracted pneumonia and bronchitis and was admitted to the hospital ship, Gloucester Castle. Giblin re-joined his unit less than a month later but was again hospitalised and transferred to No. 1 Australian Stationary Hospital at Lemnos because of heart troubles. He was later invalided to England and returned to Australia on 13 February 1917 aboard HMAT Benalla.

On 2 February 1916, Giblin was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath, an order of chivalry founded in 1725, for ‘services rendered in connection with military operations’.

Wilfrid Wanostrocht Giblin died on 10 October 1951 at Hobart and is buried at Cornelian Bay Cemetery.