Shebbeare was born in Yorkshire, son of reverend C.H. Shebbeare, vicar of Wykeham. He was educated at
Charterhouse School and then trained at the
Royal Indian Engineering College, Cooper's Hill from 1903 to 1906.
He then joined the
Imperial Forestry Service on 5 November 1906, eventually becoming chief conservator of forests for
Bengal. He was also particularly active in wildlife conservation, securing legal protection for the
Indian rhinoceros. In the 1930s, Shebbeare helped the Swedish nature photographer
Bengt Berg carry out a pioneering
camera-trap expedition to photograph the wildlife of
Bengal (a photograph by Berg illustrates this article).[4]
In 1938, after leaving India, Shebbeare was appointed
Chief Game Warden of
British Malaya.[5] In 1942, Shebbeare's bungalow containing his library and diaries was looted by the invading Japanese army.[6] During the
Japanese occupation of Malaya Shebbeare planned to fight as a
guerrilla with
Spencer Chapman.[6] However, he was imprisoned in
Singapore. After the war he resumed his position as Game Warden, eventually retiring to England in 1947.[7]
On his participation on the Mount Everest expeditions, he said "they only took me because I knew and liked the porters (Sherpas and Tibetans), not because I could climb".[8]
He married Arabie Anne Cameron (d. 1962) in 1916 and they had a daughter.[9]