From towers to trenches, we remember William Glynn Bird

Brought up by his Aunt Eliza and Uncle Thomas Cook who had no children of their own, William grew up in Bury Lane in the village of Old Bradwell. His uncle was employed as a painter’s labourer in 1901 and was originally from Shenley, while his aunt was a native of Bradwell. By 1911 William was in his final years of school and his uncle now worked on the coaches for the local railway.

William’s parents were Joseph Glynn Bird a carpenter born and raised in Bradwell and Emily. Unfortunately Joseph died aged 28 just a few months following the birth of his son William in 1898. Presumably Emily had little choice but to allow her relatives to take care of baby William while she looked for work.

William is buried in the Senlis Communal Cemetery Extension in grave 1.C.5 (near to the Great Cross). The extension to the communal cemetery was begun in April 1918, after the fall of Albert, by the 12^th (Eastern) and 38^th (Welsh) division. It is possible that William was involved in the building of his final resting place. The burial records show that 4 sappers of the Royal Engineers and one Lance Corporal all died on the 30^th June and they are all buried next to each other.

William enlisted in the army at Wolverton and became part of the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry at the time of his death he was given the rank of sapper (a soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties such as bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, demolitions and general construction) within the 70^th Field Company, Royal Engineers. The records show that William was killed in action on the 30^th June 1918 aged just 20 years, at that time the 70^th Field company was supporting the 12^th (Eastern) division in the area of Auchonvillers and Mailly-Maillet.

William’s Aunt Eliza paid for the following words to be added to his headstone

Leaving him
to sleep in trust
till the Resurrection Day

Information sources

Census records for 1911 and 1901