Canadian Women’s Army Corps
Eirlys Baird and her identical twin sister, Megan, were born to William Davies and Eira James in Bangor, Saskatchewan, on 20 April 1925. Their father was born and raised in a Welsh Colony in Patagonia, Argentina, until the Davies family moved to Canada in 1902. The twins and their two other sisters lived a rural life on their family farm in the Llewelyn district near Bangor.
In 1943, both Eirlys and Megan left the family farm to join the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC). The corps served as the women’s auxiliary of the Canadian Army. Crucially, they filled a variety of non-combat roles to free up men for front-line service. Their roles included clerical, mechanical, and communications positions. Eirlys operated as a secretary and stenographer in Vancouver, British Columbia. The twins both proudly served until the end of the Second World War.
Shortly after the war, Eirlys met Garnet Baird while working for Canada Post in Regina, Saskatchewan. The couple were married on 12 April 1952. Garnet’s service in the Royal Canadian Navy eventually brought them to Victoria, British Columbia, where they raised their five children.
Eirlys passed away peacefully on 16 May 2025 at Broadmead Veterans Memorial Lodge in Victoria, British Columbia, just a few weeks after celebrating her 100th birthday.
Leave a Reply