Because illness had kept Mrs Bird confined to the house for very many years, she was probably known to only a small circle of friends. However, those of us who knew her can all testify to her great courage and endurance which she showed in the face of such a long illness. She became the victim of Multiple Sclerosis when she was a young woman, and had to learn to live under the shadow of this disease, knowing that the future could only bring a gradual loss of her physical powers. As is often the case with people in her position, she lost nothing of her determination to cope as best she could, and to do so without becoming down-hearted. In this, she was greatly helped by her husband, and to him in his bereavement, we send out deepest sympathy.
