WHILST there is,
quite rightly, a good
deal of focus at the
moment on the
upcoming centenary
of the First World War
it should not be forgotten
that this week sees
the 70th anniversary
of the D-Day landings.


Many of the 62 casualties
listed on the
Second World War
memorial plaques in
St Mary’s churchyard
died as a result of
fighting on the
Western Front – in
France, the Low
Countries and
Germany – following
the 6 June, 1944 invasion
of Nazi occupied
Europe.


However, as far as I
know, only one man
from Andover actually
died on D-Day itself.


He was Corporal
7881703, Edmund WA
Burn (he is listed
incorrectly as ‘Edward
Burn’ on the plaques),
of the 4th/7th Royal
Dragoon Guards,
Royal Armoured
Corps, who was killed
in action at
Normandy.


His battalion landed
at ‘Gold Beach’ at
7.20am on D-Day, operating
the M4 Sherman
DD (Duplex Drive)
‘swimming tanks’.


Edmund was one of
around 2,700 British
soldiers, sailors and
airmen to become
casualties (killed,
missing or wounded)
on the first day of the
liberation of Europe,
arguably the most
important day in the
history of the democratic
world.


His death was
recorded in the
Andover Advertiser of
14 July, 1944, by his
widow, Kathleen
Gertrude Burns (née
Randall), of 2 Elm
Bank Road, off South
Street, Andover. He
was 33 years of age.


He is buried in
Bayeux War Cemetery,
which is the largest
Commonwealth cemetery
in France from
the Second World War.
 

Craig Fisher,
Berry Way, Andover