BIRD, Edward Cyril
| Service Number: | 17 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Singleton, Northumberland, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Gallipoli, Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Turkey, 26 April 1915, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hamilton Loco Employees Great War Honour Roll, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Singleton War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 17, 2nd Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 17, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Edward Cyril BIRD (Service Number 17) was born on22 February 1891 at Singleton. In July 1907 he was given a permanent position as a call boy working at Hamilton Locomotive Depot near Newcastle. In the days before telephones, call boys were messengers who conveyed shift sign-on times to drivers and firemen, who invariably lived close to the depot, within the reach of a boy riding a bicycle.
By 1909 Bird had progressed to be a cleaner. This position was actually the first step in the progression to driver, rather being responsible for cleaning. In 1912 he reached the next step and became a fireman. On his enlistment papers he describes himself as an ‘Engine Driver’.
On 18 August 1914, only a fortnight after the outbreak of the war he joined the ‘A. I. Expeditionary Forces’. Unusually, his railway record cards includes details of his enlistment as ‘A’ Co. 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry. He left Australia through Sydney on 18 October 1914 on HMAT ‘Suffolk’.
He died of wounds received in action at Gallipoli. He had been wounded on Anzac Day, 25 April 1915. He was evacuated to a hospital ship but died before reaching a port and was buried at sea. His name is recorded on the Lone Pine Memorial at Gallipoli.
(NAA B2455-3084393)
Submitted 11 May 2023 by John Oakes
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