2nd Lt
Arthur Leonard Bird
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1895 |
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Place of birth: Balham, London, Belgium |
General information
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Last known residence: Balham, London, Belgium |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: Verenigd Koninkrijk |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Second Lieutenant |
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Enlistment place: London, England, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 2nd/5th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 06/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Aisne Farm, Saint-Julien, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 22 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: IV Row: D Grave: 19 |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) | ||
| #4 | Sterfteplaats |
My story
Arthur Leonard Bird was born in the month of February 1895 in Balham, London in England, The United Kingdom. He was the son of Edward Erskine and Emily Bird and had a brother and sister named Cyril and Emily Madeline Bird.
Arthur Leonard enlisted in the City of London in England. He would serve as a Second Lieutenant in the 2nd/5th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment, part of the 182nd Brigade, of the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division.
In early September 1917, the 2nd/5th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment was engaged in intense operations near Hill 35, a heavily contested position during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). At the start of the month, the battalion, then 34 officers and 939 other ranks strong, was holding the front line near Bank Farm. On the night of 1st September, small platoon-sized assaults were launched by B and D Companies in an attempt to rush Hill 35, but both efforts failed under heavy resistance.
The following night, on 2nd September, the battalion was relieved by the 2/6th Warwicks and moved into right support positions at Wieltje. They remained there until the early hours of 5th September, when the battalion—reinforced by one company from the 2/8th Warwicks—relieved the 3/6th Warwicks in the front line between Somme and Hill 35. At this point, a coordinated assault on Hill 35 was planned for the next morning.
On 6th September at 7:30 AM, C Company of the 2/5th Warwicks, supported by A Company, launched the main attack on Hill 35. The assault met stiff German resistance and failed to gain ground. A second attempt was made at 9:00 PM, this time with support from elements of the 1st Royal Berkshire Regiment and 3/6th Warwicks, but it too was unsuccessful.
After these efforts, the battalion was relieved during the night of 7th/8th September by the 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion and withdrew to Red Rose Camp at Brandhoek. The subsequent days were spent reorganising, refitting, and undergoing specialist training, away from the front lines. The failed attacks on Hill 35 exemplified the difficulty of offensive operations in the Ypres sector—dominated by mud, strong German defences, and relentless artillery.
Second Lieutenant Bird, aged 22, was Killed in Action on the 6th of September 1917. His body was initially buried near Aisne Farm, Saint-Julien at 28.D.13.c. His remains were later exhumed and interred at The Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot IV, Row D, Grave 19.
Arthur Leonard enlisted in the City of London in England. He would serve as a Second Lieutenant in the 2nd/5th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment, part of the 182nd Brigade, of the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division.
In early September 1917, the 2nd/5th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment was engaged in intense operations near Hill 35, a heavily contested position during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). At the start of the month, the battalion, then 34 officers and 939 other ranks strong, was holding the front line near Bank Farm. On the night of 1st September, small platoon-sized assaults were launched by B and D Companies in an attempt to rush Hill 35, but both efforts failed under heavy resistance.
The following night, on 2nd September, the battalion was relieved by the 2/6th Warwicks and moved into right support positions at Wieltje. They remained there until the early hours of 5th September, when the battalion—reinforced by one company from the 2/8th Warwicks—relieved the 3/6th Warwicks in the front line between Somme and Hill 35. At this point, a coordinated assault on Hill 35 was planned for the next morning.
On 6th September at 7:30 AM, C Company of the 2/5th Warwicks, supported by A Company, launched the main attack on Hill 35. The assault met stiff German resistance and failed to gain ground. A second attempt was made at 9:00 PM, this time with support from elements of the 1st Royal Berkshire Regiment and 3/6th Warwicks, but it too was unsuccessful.
After these efforts, the battalion was relieved during the night of 7th/8th September by the 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion and withdrew to Red Rose Camp at Brandhoek. The subsequent days were spent reorganising, refitting, and undergoing specialist training, away from the front lines. The failed attacks on Hill 35 exemplified the difficulty of offensive operations in the Ypres sector—dominated by mud, strong German defences, and relentless artillery.
Second Lieutenant Bird, aged 22, was Killed in Action on the 6th of September 1917. His body was initially buried near Aisne Farm, Saint-Julien at 28.D.13.c. His remains were later exhumed and interred at The Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot IV, Row D, Grave 19.
Sources 13
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2/5 Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment war dairy (The National Archives, WO 95/3056/1). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7355331 Sources used |
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission : Second Lieutenant ARTHUR LEONARD BIRD (461950) https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461950/arthur-leonard-bird/ Sources used |
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Find a Grave, database en afbeeldingen, gedenkplekpagina voor Second Lieutenant Arthur Leonard Bird (unknown–6 sep 1917), Find a Grave-gedenkplek-ID 11166936, citaat Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Arrondissement Ieper, West Flanders, Belgium; Onderhouden door Paul R (bijdrager 47317162). https://nl.findagrave.com/memorial/11166936/arthur_leonard-bird#source Sources used |
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FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8912/records/32041973 Sources used |
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Lives Of The First World War : We Remember Arthur Leonard Bird (350258). https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/350258 Sources used |
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London Metropolitan Archives; London, England, UK; London Church of England Parish Registers https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1558/records/2129217 Sources used |
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London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; School Admission and Discharge Registers; Reference: LCC/EO/DIV07/ASY/AD/001 https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1938/records/8635522 Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p 72 – 73. Sources used |
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Military-Genealogy.com, comp. UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. http://ancestry.com/search/collections/1543/records/1033972?_phcmd=u(%27https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/39/?name=Arthur+Leonard_Bird&birth=1896&death=1917-9&location=3257.3250&priority=united-kingdom&successSource=Search&queryId=30606281-c23f-4054-9467-5c3fa905a777%27,%27successSource%27) Sources used |
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National Army Museum; Chelsea, London, England; Soldiers' Effects Records, 1901-60; NAM Accession Number: 1991-02-333; Record Number Ranges: 30601-31600; Reference: 17 https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60506/records/157709?_phcmd=u(%27https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/39/?name=Arthur+Leonard_Bird&birth=1896&death=1917-9&location=3257.3250&priority=united-kingdom&successSource=Search&queryId=30606281-c23f-4054-9467-5c3fa905a777%27,%27successSource%27) Sources used |
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Principal Probate Registry; London, England; Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1904/records/40053 Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail : Royal Warwickshire Regiment https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/royal-warwickshire-regiment/ Sources used |
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The Wartimes Memories Project : 2/5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment During The Great War. https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/battalion.php?pid=7343#:~:text=2%2F5th%20Battalion%20Royal%20Warwickshire%20Regiment%20was%20formed%20in,as%20182nd%20Brigade%2C%2061st%20%282nd%20South%20Midland%29%20Division. Sources used |