Pte 22929 Edward Bird

• Age: 19
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• D.O.W Monday 16th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Heilly Station Cem, Mericourt
  Panel Ref: III.E.39

Edward (Ted) Bird was born in 23 Henley Street, Seaforth on the 26th June 1897 and was baptised on the 28th July 1897 at St Thomas’s C. of E. Church, Seaforth. He had two siblings Margaret Daisy and Albert. He was the son of Bromborough Bush Bird and his wife Margaret (nee Harrison) who married in 1894.

On the 1881 Census his father was a cook on the White Star Liner SS Britannic.

He now rests at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt, France.

The 36th Casualty Clearing Station was at Heilly from April 1916. It was joined in May by the 38th, and in July by the 2/2nd London, but these hospitals had all moved on by early June 1917. The cemetery was begun in May 1916 and was used by the three medical units until April 1917. From March to May 1918, it was used by Australian units, and in the early autumn for further hospital burials when the 20th Casualty Clearing Station was there briefly in August and September 1918. The last burial was made in May 1919. There are now 2,890 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. Only 12 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 21 casualties whose graves in the cemetery could not be exactly located. The cemetery also contains 83 German graves. The burials in this cemetery were carried out under extreme pressure and many of the graves are either too close together to be marked individually, or they contain multiple burials. Some headstones carry as many as three sets of casualty details, and in these cases, regimental badges have had to be omitted. Instead, these badges, 117 in all, have been carved on a cloister wall on the north side of the cemetery. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

His father died on 07th October 1917 less than a year after his son had been killed.  

His family paid tribute to Ted in the Liverpool Daily Post 17th Oct 1917

BIRD - In loving memory of Private Edward Bird (Ted) who died of wounds in France, October 16, 1916, the dearly beloved eldest son of Margaret and the late B.B.Bird who passed away October 7th 1917.

Shattered hopes and secret tears

Dim the glory that they won

Sadly missed by Mother, Daisy and Bert.

BIRD - In loving memory of Private Ed Bird (Ted) (K.L.R.), who died of wounds received in action October 16, 1916. -  Remembered by his grandfather and all at "The Magazines", New Ferry.

He is commemorated on the Litherland Civic Memorial.

Soldiers effects to his father Bromborough Bush and mother Margaret and pension to Margaret.

His mother received his Memorial scroll in 1920. She was then living at 18 Haddon Road, Rock Ferry. 

Grateful thanks are extended to John McDonald for pointing out our earlier mistake in Ted's biography, that he was wounded in the attack on the Transloy Ridges on 12th October and for allowing us permission to use the wonderful photograph of Teddy now on the website. John is the son of Private 23108 Patrick Joseph McDonald.

John further advised that Teddy had wanted to become a Church of England minister after the war and when the “morning hate” was dropping  would say to my father “Don’t worry Mac, trust in Him above”. My dad’s response was less enthusiastic “It’s not Him above that I’m worried about, it’s those buggers over there”.

We currently have no further information on Edward Bird, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.