Will Bird (1891 - 1984) When war broke in 1914 Stephen Bird, Will's younger brother, immediately enlisted, and made sure that Will's application to enlist was turned down. When Stephen was killed in a mine explosion near Ypres in October of 1915, Will enlisted in the 193rd Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders. The 193rd was a locally raised battalion, the men were all from the same area in Nova Scotia. When Will arrived in France he and members of his battalion were sent to reinforce the 42nd Battalion, The Black Watch of Canada, in the front lines. Will fought at Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras and Cambrai. He was awarded a Military Medal for bravery in the capture of Mons, on the last night of the war. His memoir, Ghosts Have Warm Hands, was first published in 1930 under the title And We Go On. As Norm Christie writes in his preface to Ghosts Have Warm Hands: "It is remarkable how Will Bird has recorded his war in such exceptional detail, and how the characters of his comrades shine. His story reflects the power of the camaraderie felt by the soldiers of the First World War, specifically their loyalty to each other and their pride of being in the trenches. Will wrote in the preface of And We Go On that the book was an effort to reveal the psychic or supernatural effects war had on its participants. The visions of his dead brother Stephen, who visits him on many occasions during the war, and in fact saves his life on a number of occasions, makes for fascinating reading.
Re: Will Bird (1891 - 1984) Heres his brother Stephen ... In Memory of Private STEPHEN CARMAN BIRD 67193, "B" Coy. 25th Bn., Canadian Infantry (Nova Scotia Regiment) who died age 19 on 08 October 1915 Son of Stephen and Augusta C. Bird, of Southampton, Nova Scotia Native of Mapleton, Nova Scotia. Remembered with honour YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
