Derrick Bird's mum plans letters to families

Jun 15 2010 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

THE mother of mass murderer Derrick Bird plans to write to the families of those gunned down by her son.

As the Bird family gathered at the funeral of Bird’s twin and first victim David yesterday, the Rev Jim Marshall said mother Mary planned to write letters of condolence to the families of the dead.

He told the mourners: “She said she’d been thinking it over and asked me to help compose letters to every one of the families who were bereaved.”

The twins’ mother, 87, could not attend the service as she is in hospital and described as frail.

So, in the quiet of her hospital room, Mrs Bird was joined by close friend and chaplain Margaret Goddard, who conducted a duplicate funeral service with an Order of Service from Rev Marshall in Lamplugh.

Mrs Bird, who is being treated for cuts to her legs suffered after collapsing under the stress of the killings on June 2, lit a candle and prayed for her family.

“It is a really lovely move because Mary would have loved to have been at the funeral, but there was no way,” said Rev Marshall after the funeral finished. He said Mrs Bird explained her decision to write personally to each of the 11 families of her son’s victims with the words: “It’s no good just saying sorry in the local paper. If it’s one victim or 100, the hurt is still there.

“The whole thing is just so bad. I am very determined to write to them all.”

Yesterday’s funeral brought the Bird family together following the tragedies of nearly a fortnight ago.

Brian, Derrick and David’s eldest brother, broke down in church and was comforted by David’s estranged wife Susan.

Though the killer’s eldest son, Graeme, attended with his wife Victoria and joined his cousins Rachel, Tracey, and Katie, in mourning their father, his brother Jamie, 16, did not. Mr Marshall said the teenager was studying for his GCSE exams and could not face the occasion. Nor could Bird’s ex-partner, Linda Mills.

Mr Marshall said: “It was too distressing for Jamie. Linda didn’t attend. She is very upset, very weak.”

Despite David Bird’s daughters saying after the killings their father’s only mistake was helping his brother, they now have no animosity.

And yesterday, they read a tribute to their father which they had composed.

It read: “Not only were you one in a million, but more like one in a billion.

“No one will ever know a character quite like you again. You were quirky, hilarious, cheeky and downright cute.

“You always showed us girls great affection, like at Easter when you used to eat the back half of our Easter eggs and then wrap it back up so we’d never know.” Describing him as their “hero”, the girls said: “With all these stories you will never die, Dad.” After the service, Mr Bird’s coffin was carried out to the song, You Raise Me Up.

People started hugging and wiping away their tears as the remains were carried to the hearse.

Almost two weeks ago Derrick Bird, 52, went on a shooting spree after killing his brother, David, and family solicitor Kevin Commons.

He went on to kill 10 others and finally, after a police manhunt covering a large swathe of Cumbria, took his own life.

It is believed that Bird, who worked as a taxi driver, was embittered by his brother’s standard of living and the fact that he received £25,000 in their father’s will, while he was snubbed.

Bird was also being investigated for alleged tax evasion.