653:
196:
Soon afterwards, war broke out in Europe and Will's youngest brother, Stephen, was enlisted, only to be killed in France a year afterward. Bird had volunteered for service overseas at the same time as his brother, but was rejected due to his poor teeth. Will Bird returned home to Nova Scotia, wanting
223:
While living in
Southampton, he wrote his first story and won a newspaper essay contest; this was the beginning to his career as an author and in 1928 he decided to support his family by writing. His stories were accepted across North America by such magazines as the
201:'s standards for dental health had been lowered; although Bird was required to have some teeth removed in Britain before being sent to the front in France. He served in France and Belgium at the front for two years with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (
220:, where he married Ethel Sutton. Together they had two children, Stephen and Betty. Will had become a partner in a general store there, but the store failed in 1923 and the family moved back to Amherst. There he found employment in the post office.
267:
In 1933 he began work at the Nova Scotia
Tourist Bureau, moving to Halifax in 1938, and he worked as chairman of the Historic Sites and Monuments Advisory Council, remaining there until his retirement in 1966.
182:, where his mother began running a boarding house. The family at this time was in need of money, so Will and his brother were unable to complete school. By the time he was twenty-three he decided to go to
256:
Magazine to write a series called "Thirteen Years After". The series became a lecture tour and a book, published by MacLean's in 1931 and over the following five years was given to
174:, son of Augusta Bird, a school teacher in East Mapleton and Stephen Bird. A few years later his mother was left a widow with two stepsons and three sons as his father died of
307:
Counted among the descendants of Will R. Bird, are the brothers Lee Bird (1983-present) and Robin
Eustace Bird (1985-present), who work in the field of writing and animation.
738:
628:
and even, according to one source, elsewhere in Canada: see Dean Jobb, "Neglected Master Bird Offers
Compelling Narrative of WWI", Halifax Chronicle-Herald, July 5, 2015,
213:
recounts his experiences during the war and his emotional connection to his brother, Stephen, who was killed in action before Bird was allowed to volunteer for service.
202:
758:
748:
693:
753:
743:
728:
613:
575:
205:). His time in the war impacted his life as a writer as his war experiences were constantly a part of his stories. One of his finest works,
186:
and work on the harvest to earn money. This was the case for many men from the East who were recruited to harvest crops on the prairies (
629:
708:
533:
400:
733:
723:
272:
247:, was published in 1928 and was followed by a steady succession of fiction and non-fiction titles over the next 40 years.
694:
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=44617
294:
198:
683:
171:
41:
349:
217:
58:
197:
to take up his brother's place in the military, and he enlisted immediately. By this point in the war, the
279:
226:
718:
713:
408:
179:
641:
271:
When Canada went to war again in 1939, Bird lost his only son, Captain
Stephen Stanley Bird, of the
630:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/books/1297325-neglected-master-bird-offers-compelling-narrative-of-wwi
230:
590:" stands among the most powerful Canadian reactions to the Great War", Ian McKay and Robin Bates,
275:. This caused him to enter a long period of writing, creating many stories that showed his grief.
666:
678:
609:
571:
390:
190:
257:
162:
writer, author of fifteen novels, two memoirs, six history books and three travel books.
130:
688:
702:
234:
252:
652:
684:
http://www.encyclopediecanadienne.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000768
298:
333:
261:
175:
159:
183:
178:. As he became a teenager, the family moved to the nearby town of
216:
Once he was demobilized in 1919 he returned to the village of
542:(1972, 19 stories about a 1920s Newfoundland fishing village)
606:
Ghosts Have Warm Hands: A Memoir of the Great War, 1916-1919
568:
Ghosts Have Warm Hands: A Memoir of the Great War, 1916-1919
304:
Bird died on
January 28, 1984, in Sackville, New Brunswick.
679:
http://www.mta.ca/library/will_bird_bibliography/index.html
250:
In 1931 he was sent back to the battlefields of France by
689:
http://findingaids.library.dal.ca/will-r-bird-fonds
209:(1930) documents his time in France. Another book,
123:
115:
107:
89:
81:
73:
65:
48:
28:
21:
203:42nd Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada), CEF
648:. Lethbridge, Alberta. July 4, 1950. p. 16.
667:"Will R. Bird | the Canadian Encyclopedia"
594:, McGill-Queens University Press, 2010, p. 154
484:(1945, Ryerson Fiction Award, co-winner 1945)
8:
389:(1954, story of two Canadian heroes of the
739:People from Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
18:
297:from 1949 to 1950, and was succeeded by
558:
759:Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers
7:
749:20th-century Canadian male writers
14:
754:Canadian male non-fiction writers
532:(1969, semi-fictional account of
399:(1955, regimental history of the
744:20th-century Canadian historians
651:
546:The Misadventures of Rufus Burdy
102:The Misadventures of Rufus Burdy
729:20th-century Canadian novelists
1:
463:Private Timothy Fergus Clancy
369:Private Timothy Fergus Clancy
273:North Nova Scotia Highlanders
642:"Heads Authors' Association"
295:Canadian Authors Association
199:Canadian Expeditionary Force
158:(May 11, 1891 – 1984) was a
604:Bird, Will Richard (1997).
566:Bird, Will Richard (1997).
119:Stephen Bird and Betty Bird
16:Canadian writer (1891–1984)
775:
592:In the Province of History
293:Bird was president of the
172:East Mapleton, Nova Scotia
42:East Mapleton, Nova Scotia
482:Here Stays Good Yorkshire
478:(1933, privately printed)
350:Expulsion of the Acadians
284:Here Stays Good Yorkshire
128:
709:Writers from Nova Scotia
530:An Earl Must Have a Wife
439:Off-Trail in Nova Scotia
381:The Communication Trench
357:War and military history
260:branches throughout the
218:Southampton, Nova Scotia
59:Sackville, New Brunswick
734:Canadian travel writers
724:Canadian male novelists
476:The Maid of the Marshes
445:These Are the Maritimes
397:No retreating footsteps
506:To Love and To Cherish
494:The Passionate Pilgrim
416:Ghosts Have Warm Hands
383:(1932, trench warfare)
330:A Century at Chignecto
245:A Century at Chignecto
211:Ghosts Have Warm Hands
94:A Century at Chignecto
280:Ryerson Fiction Award
227:Saturday Evening Post
170:He was born in rural
524:Despite the Distance
518:Tristram's Salvation
512:The Shy Yorkshireman
409:North Shore Regiment
375:Thirteen Years After
348:(1955, story of the
340:Historic Nova Scotia
156:William Richard Bird
98:Thirteen Years After
23:William Richard Bird
433:This is Nova Scotia
365:(1930, World War I)
282:twice, in 1945 for
237:, Maritime Advocate
231:Toronto Star Weekly
470:Historical fiction
418:(1968, reissue of
243:. His first book,
646:Lethbridge Herald
615:978-1-896979-00-7
577:978-1-896979-00-7
500:So Much to Record
391:French Resistance
346:Done at Grand Pre
191:Harvest excursion
153:
152:
766:
671:
670:
663:
657:
656:
655:
649:
638:
632:
626:
620:
619:
601:
595:
588:
582:
581:
563:
534:J.F.W. DesBarres
332:(1928, story of
324:Maritime history
286:and in 1947 for
149:
146:
144:
142:
140:
138:
136:
134:
132:
55:
52:January 28, 1984
38:
36:
19:
774:
773:
769:
768:
767:
765:
764:
763:
699:
698:
675:
674:
665:
664:
660:
650:
640:
639:
635:
627:
623:
616:
603:
602:
598:
589:
585:
578:
565:
564:
560:
555:
472:
459:
454:
429:
359:
326:
321:
316:
310:
258:Canadian Legion
168:
166:Life and career
129:
57:
53:
40:
34:
32:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
772:
770:
762:
761:
756:
751:
746:
741:
736:
731:
726:
721:
716:
711:
701:
700:
697:
696:
691:
686:
681:
673:
672:
658:
633:
621:
614:
596:
583:
576:
557:
556:
554:
551:
550:
549:
543:
537:
527:
521:
515:
509:
503:
497:
491:
485:
479:
471:
468:
467:
466:
458:
455:
453:
450:
449:
448:
442:
436:
428:
425:
424:
423:
413:
404:
394:
384:
378:
377:(1931, memoir)
372:
366:
358:
355:
354:
353:
343:
337:
325:
322:
320:
317:
315:
312:
167:
164:
151:
150:
126:
125:
121:
120:
117:
113:
112:
109:
105:
104:
91:
87:
86:
83:
79:
78:
75:
71:
70:
67:
63:
62:
56:(aged 92)
50:
46:
45:
30:
26:
25:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
771:
760:
757:
755:
752:
750:
747:
745:
742:
740:
737:
735:
732:
730:
727:
725:
722:
720:
717:
715:
712:
710:
707:
706:
704:
695:
692:
690:
687:
685:
682:
680:
677:
676:
668:
662:
659:
654:
647:
643:
637:
634:
631:
625:
622:
617:
611:
608:. CEF Books.
607:
600:
597:
593:
587:
584:
579:
573:
570:. CEF Books.
569:
562:
559:
552:
547:
544:
541:
538:
535:
531:
528:
525:
522:
519:
516:
513:
510:
507:
504:
501:
498:
495:
492:
489:
488:Judgment Glen
486:
483:
480:
477:
474:
473:
469:
465:(1930, novel)
464:
461:
460:
456:
451:
446:
443:
440:
437:
434:
431:
430:
426:
421:
417:
414:
411:
410:
405:
402:
398:
395:
392:
388:
387:The Two Jacks
385:
382:
379:
376:
373:
370:
367:
364:
361:
360:
356:
351:
347:
344:
341:
338:
335:
331:
328:
327:
323:
318:
313:
311:
308:
305:
302:
300:
296:
291:
289:
288:Judgment Glen
285:
281:
278:Bird won the
276:
274:
269:
265:
263:
259:
255:
254:
248:
246:
242:
238:
236:
235:Family Herald
232:
228:
221:
219:
214:
212:
208:
204:
200:
194:
192:
189:
185:
181:
177:
173:
165:
163:
161:
157:
148:
127:
122:
118:
114:
110:
106:
103:
99:
95:
92:
90:Notable works
88:
84:
80:
76:
72:
68:
64:
60:
51:
47:
43:
31:
27:
20:
661:
645:
636:
624:
605:
599:
591:
586:
567:
561:
545:
539:
529:
523:
517:
511:
505:
499:
493:
487:
481:
475:
462:
444:
438:
432:
420:And We Go On
419:
415:
406:
396:
386:
380:
374:
368:
363:And We Go On
362:
345:
339:
329:
309:
306:
303:
292:
287:
283:
277:
270:
266:
251:
249:
244:
240:
225:
222:
215:
210:
207:And We Go On
206:
195:
187:
169:
155:
154:
111:Ethel Sutton
101:
97:
93:
69:Will R. Bird
54:(1984-01-28)
39:May 11, 1891
719:1984 deaths
714:1891 births
401:North Novas
319:Non-fiction
299:W. G. Hardy
241:Weekly Star
82:Nationality
703:Categories
553:References
540:Angel Cove
334:Beaubassin
74:Occupation
35:1891-05-11
262:Maritimes
253:Maclean's
176:pneumonia
160:Canadian
141:/history
137:/faculty
116:Children
100:, &
85:Canadian
66:Pen name
61:, Canada
44:, Canada
452:Fiction
184:Alberta
180:Amherst
124:Website
612:
574:
548:(1975)
526:(1961)
520:(1957)
514:(1955)
508:(1954)
502:(1951)
496:(1949)
490:(1947)
447:(1959)
441:(1956)
435:(1950)
427:Travel
412:(1963)
371:(1930)
342:(1935)
143:/wbird
108:Spouse
77:Writer
314:Books
139:/arts
610:ISBN
572:ISBN
407:The
239:and
147:.htm
145:/bio
133:.mta
49:Died
29:Born
457:War
193:).
188:see
135:.ca
131:www
705::
644:.
301:.
290:.
264:.
233:,
229:,
96:,
669:.
618:.
580:.
536:)
422:)
403:)
393:)
352:)
336:)
37:)
33:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.