Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
The Kohima Educational Trust is delighted to present this webinar with Dr Robert Lyman MBE who introduces our guest speaker Jerry Bird. Jerry's interest in the Burma Campaign stems from a personal family connection: his late father’s eldest brother was killed in action at Kohima, a story his father shared with Jerry when he was young and which has stayed with him ever since.
Cyril John Bird was born in 1924 in the North Devon town of Chulmleigh. Before joining the Army, he worked on his grandfather’s farm as a horseman, typical of many young men from rural communities at the time. He was called up for service in March 1943 and completed his basic training at Colchester before being posted to the Devonshire Regiment. His early service involved home defence duties in North Yorkshire, but later that year he was sent overseas to join British forces in India. The journey itself proved eventful, and Cyril eventually arrived in India in December 1943, where he underwent the standard acclimatisation and training required for troops arriving from Europe. At the end of January 1944, he was transferred to the Dorsetshire Regiment and became part of the British 2nd Division. In April of that year, the 2nd Division began their fight towards Kohima. It was during the Battle of Kohima that Cyril was killed, aged just 19. He is buried alongside his comrades close to the area where his battalion fought. His family has continued to remember him, and his headstone bears the simple tribute: “He died for us all.”
The Kohima Educational Trust is delighted to present this webinar with Dr Robert Lyman MBE who introduces our guest speaker Jerry Bird. Jerry's interest in the Burma Campaign stems from a personal family connection: his late father’s eldest brother was killed in action at Kohima, a story his father shared with Jerry when he was young and which has stayed with him ever since.
Cyril John Bird was born in 1924 in the North Devon town of Chulmleigh. Before joining the Army, he worked on his grandfather’s farm as a horseman, typical of many young men from rural communities at the time. He was called up for service in March 1943 and completed his basic training at Colchester before being posted to the Devonshire Regiment. His early service involved home defence duties in North Yorkshire, but later that year he was sent overseas to join British forces in India. The journey itself proved eventful, and Cyril eventually arrived in India in December 1943, where he underwent the standard acclimatisation and training required for troops arriving from Europe. At the end of January 1944, he was transferred to the Dorsetshire Regiment and became part of the British 2nd Division. In April of that year, the 2nd Division began their fight towards Kohima. It was during the Battle of Kohima that Cyril was killed, aged just 19. He is buried alongside his comrades close to the area where his battalion fought. His family has continued to remember him, and his headstone bears the simple tribute: “He died for us all.”
