PAST IS PROLOGUE

The Most Magical Father I Never Met

An accidental correspondence revealed how one doting father’s life ended in a tragic crime that took decades to uncover

Photo: John Jennings/Unsplash

In my experience, fathers tend to fall into two general camps. There are the dads so preoccupied with their own interests and careers and financially supporting their families that they rarely interact with their kids. Then there are the dads who strive for an active role in their children’s lives: They change their diapers and teach them sports, counsel them as they grow up, and worry about their futures.

But then again, imagine a father who would write an operetta for his children, with parts for each to sing to fend off homesickness when they’re far from home. In the 1930s, British civilian officer Alfred G. Bird was just such an extraordinary dad. Tragically, as I learned through an accidental pen pal, this creative and doting father’s life ended in a wartime crime that took decades to uncover.

First, the tragedy of Maj. Alfred G. Bird

Photo of Alfred G. Bird. Image courtesy of Chris Pratt-Johnson