Bird, William
PLACE BIRTH
Woolwich England
OCCUPATION
Labourer
PLACE ENLISTMENT
Port Douglas
DATE ENLISTMENT
17-02-1915
NEXT OF KIN
Edward Bird (father), London
LINK TO DOUGLAS SHIRE
Enlisted at Port Douglas
REGIMENT 1
25th Battalion AIF
RANK
Private
CAMPAIGN 1
Gallipoli
CAMPAIGN 2
Western Front
KILLED IN ACTION
25-12-17
OTHER INFO
Embarked Brisbane on Aeneas June 1915.
Awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal
STORY OUTLINE
William Bird, an English immigrant working as a labourer in Douglas district, enlisted at Port Douglas in February 1915. He departed Australia with the 25th Battalion in June 1915 for service in Gallipoli (arriving 4 September). After the Gallipoli withdrawal to Egypt, Bird with the 25th joined the war at the Western Front in May 1916. In France, he suffered bronchitis then on 6th November 1917 was subjected to a gas attack and was hospitalised. He returned to his unit on 17 December but eight days later, Christmas Day, he was killed in action.
SERVICE NO
31
