Long-lost letter from King
MARGARET Gale was gobsmacked to find a letter from King George V given to her father Clyde Bird during his recovery in hospital from wounds received in World War I.
Mrs Gale found the royal letter 20 years ago and brought it to the Returned and Services League Bunbury sub branch in response to the RSL's Streets of Diggers campaign, which called for old photos and memorabilia from the public.
"I could not believe what I was looking at, a handwritten note from the King," Mrs Gale said.
"My dad never spoke of the war and died young."
Her father was living on a farm near Perth in 1915 when he enlisted in the army with his older brother Tom.
Following training at Blackboy Hill and later in Egypt, both men were posted to the 51st Battalion and sent to the Western Front in 1916.
As part of the 4th Australian Division, Mr Bird's battalion was moved up to the frontline shortly after arriving in France.
In June, the battalion was moved up to Fleurbaix, now known as Fromelles, to relieve the 10th Battalion.
In the first of a number of lucky escapes, Mr Bird and his brother's division was relieved from their position by the 5th Division.
Shortly after the 5th was involved in the infamous Battle of Fromelles - described by the Australian War Memorial as "the worst 24 hours in Australian history" - more than 5500 men became casualties in the Australian Imperial Forces' debut on the Western Front.
In August 1916, Mr Bird received the first of many wounds and illnesses that left him hospitalised. Being gassed in battle at Ypres left him hospitalised for seven months.
After the war, Mr Bird returned to his studies, becoming a teacher who taught throughout the South West before finishing his career in Balingup.
Sadly, the former soldier died at just 50 years of age, possibly a result of his war-time wounds.
His efforts and those of servicemen from throughout the South West will be remembered with the start of a special event this weekend. The Anzac Diggers in the Park memorial services, which pay tribute to the fallen and returned soldiers, begin this Sunday morning in front of the Bunbury City Library.
The public is invited to the services, starting at 10.50am each Sunday and Wednesday until the weekend before Anzac Day.
