A WORLD War Two hero who fought the Nazis in Africa and Europe has died aged 101.
Cyril “Dickie” Bird served with the 5th Royal Tank Regiment, and later spoke of his post-traumatic stress disorder.
In 1942, he became a Desert Rat and fought at El Alamein.
After switching to Italy, he later took part in 1944’s D-Day landings, suffering shrapnel wounds.
He rejoined his regiment in Holland and won the Military Medal for bravery there.
He returned to Belgium and fought in the Ardennes, ending the war in Germany.
He was also awarded France’s Legion of Honour.
Cyril, a resident of Edinburgh, shared: “I was scared, yet I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything. We all understood we were witnessing a historic moment. My motivation came from my commitment to my crew.”
A doctor later told Cyril he was “bomb happy”, a term for PTSD.
He said: “I’d be at the cinema, soaking wet and shaking with fear.
“I’d think ‘What the hell is wrong?’ — but I wasn’t the only one.”
The Veterans Foundation said: “For a long time Cyril carried the scars of Operation Overlord (D-Day) and was very open about his PTSD.”
