Kenneth Charles von Bibra was born at Launceston, Tasmania on 13 December 1910 to William and Kate “Daisy” (née Dean) von Bibra. Kenneth had a brother named Donald Dean von Bibra, and they grew up in Ross, Tasmania, where their father was a prominent pastoralist. By 1931, Kenneth was living in Toorak, Victoria, and working as a journalist for the newspaper “Melbourne Sun”. He married Joan Marion Arthur at St. John’s Church of England in Melbourne on 4 April 1938, and they lived on their property “Rowallan” in Harkaway, Victoria.

On 6 June 1940, von Bibra enlisted in the Second World War as a private and was assigned to the 21st Anti-Tank Battery. He spent several months training at Puckapunyal, Victoria, and was promoted to acting corporal on 28 August 1940. On 19 October, von Bibra embarked from Sydney for overseas service, disembarking at Egypt on 25 November 1940. He then commenced his service in Palestine and Syria and by 4 April 1941, Kenneth had transferred to the 2/14th Australian Infantry and reverted to private at his own request.

On 24 June 1941, Kenneth was involved in an attempt to take an enemy machine gun post near Jezzine, Syria (located in modern day Lebanon), known as Hill 1332. He and several other men came under heavy machine gun fire and were cut off from the rest of their unit. Kenneth Charles von Bibra was killed that day, at the age of 30. His body was recovered in August 1941 and buried at Beirut War Cemetery. His name is also engraved on the Ross War Memorial in Tasmania.