He joined the Supplementary Reserve of the 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (No.79884), in 1938 as a
2nd Lieutenant. In September 1939, while skiing in Switzerland he received a telegram from his regiment to return home as war had been declared by the Chamberlain government against
Nazi Germany. On arriving at the
Regimental depot in Winchester he was immediately posted to Palestine where the
Arab Revolt was still smouldering. His first action was against Italian forces, many of whom were poorly equipped. He was in the vanguard of
Combeforce (led by Col John Combe of
11th Hussars) at the
Battle of Beda Fomm, which dashed across 100 miles of desert to
Sidi Saleh on the coast road (7 February 1941) and captured the Italian
10th Army of 20,000 (including 216 guns and 100 tanks) commanded by
General Bergonzoli (‘Electric Whiskers’). General
Richard O'Connor, commanding 7th Armoured Division called it ‘a complete victory as none of the enemy escaped.’ In early 1942
Rommel’s
Afrika Korps turned the tide of battle; he had reached
Sollum and was besieging Tobruk. Bird was part of
7th Support Group (in
7th Armoured Division) who were now organised in mobile harassing ‘Jock Columns’ (a troop of 25-pdrs, a motorised infantry company, anti-tank guns, engineers), devised to cover vast acres of no-man’s land by
Maj-Gen ‘Jock’ Campbell VC, who commanded the Support Group. As the Rifle Brigade history notes of ‘Jock Columns’; ‘they learnt to penetrate areas dominated by the enemy…to make deadly and damaging thrusts…against his supply lines.’ Bird carried out numerous night patrols. Most company commanders sent junior officers on patrols but Bird went himself. On one he won a Military Cross. During the battle for Sidi Rezegh (November 21-23, 1941), fought to relieve Tobruk, Bird was hit in the ankle. When he recovered, Bird was made commander of ‘S’ [Support] company of 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (2RB), now equipped with 16 of its own ‘pretty useless’
2 pounders (‘but better than nothing’), the first time a motor battalion had its own anti-tank guns – 2RB previously had to rely on 3 rd Royal Horse Artillery’s guns. In July 1942 his company was equipped with the new (‘excellent’) 6 pdr anti-tank gun and first used it at the Free French desert citadel (or ‘box’) of
Bir Hakeim, which anchored the southern end of the British line, held by about 3700 of
General Koenig’s
1st Free French Brigade (mostly very tough
Légionnaires). When Rommel advanced eastwards to try and take Tobruk, Bir Hakeim was in the way. The French fought furiously against constant artillery bombardment and incessant
Stuka attacks. Rommel’s hand-written note to Koenig to surrender or ‘face destruction’ was answered by a cannon salvo which destroyed some German trucks. Their stubborn bravery established the Free French as a fighting force, and caused Rommel considerable logistical problems. But they became desperately short of ammunition, and Koenig’s resolve seemed to waver. On the night of June 7/8 Bird brought in a column of 25
Royal Army Service Corps ammunition trucks with an RB escort through German lines and minefields, a hazardous operation in the dark. He went in from the west, the enemy side, gambling that the Germans would assume the column was their own transport. It worked, he only lost one truck. He had with him two
6 pounders, in case he met trouble on the way in. The Légionnaires were delighted to see these new weapons, and in Bir Hakeim gleefully pointed out targets ‘even though this brought down fire…’ Bird went to see Koenig in his dugout, who grudgingly thanked him for the supplies but said it wasn’t enough and he was going to surrender anyway. Horrified, Bird asked that this be delayed until he could extricate his relief column that night. Koenig agreed. In the event Koenig, his English driver (and mistress)
Susan Travers and about 2,500 Free French did not surrender, but fought their way out on 10/11 June, the additional ammunition allowing time to plan the break-out. In 2004 Bird received thanks for his support for the beleaguered garrison when he was awarded the
Légion d’honneur. Rommel continued his advance until stopped at El Alamein (just 66 miles from Alexandria), a railway halt. During the precipitate retreat across the Egyptian frontier and beyond, Bird and 2RB of 7th Motor Brigade had ranged far behind the German lines, alone, unsupported, at great distances from the rest of the Army, always on the move, destroying tanks and guns and transport – and delaying Rommel’s pursuit. Bird had even at one point captured a German
88mm anti-tank gun. On July 2 the withdrawal stopped. Bird’s unit had been ‘among the first to meet the enemy on the 26th of May, had been the last to withdraw, the last through the wire, and, 'in a collection of vehicles which would have disgraced a circus, were the last to reach Alamein,’ as the Regimental history records. Rommel tried twice more to break through. The
First Battle of El Alamein (July 1–27, 1942) ended in stalemate after a series of thrusts and counter-attacks by both sides, British attacks being hampered by poor infantry/armour co-ordination. On July 4, the same day as his Colonel, Hugo Garmoyle, was killed, Bird was wounded again. He had heard a battle on his flank and sped off with his driver to see whether his guns might take the enemy in flank. He was peering through his field glasses when a shell burst overhead and shrapnel penetrated his shoulder and his driver’s wrist, which started pumping blood. Bird drove his Jeep with one hand while the other sought to stem his driver’s loss of blood. He found a first-aid post but refused, after being patched up, to go back for further treatment himself. == Gallantry medals and citations ==