A very topical and moving personal account from the widow of Bill Edwardes, Jean, who is a member of SI Winchester. Bill served in the 43rd Wessex Division in the war and also formed the 43rd Division Association. Jean gave us a very moving presentation of her involvement in Bill’s post war commemorations and in 2004 also featured in a presentation with the Earl of Wessex/Duke of Edinburgh regarding the unit’s most hard won battle at Hill 112, see previous post
The 43rd Wessex Division formed from the Territorial Army battalions of the southwest, including the 4th and 5th Battalions of the Wiltshire Regiment. The DCLI, Devon and Dorset’s Gloucester’s and Worcester’s became known as the fighting Wessex Wyverns.
Jean told us that it wasn’t until the 50th anniversary of DDay that Bill started to talk about his time in the war . He joined the Normandy Veterans Association and 1st Worcester’s Regimental Association and revisited Normandy. From then on he became involved in all sorts of events in remembrance of the Division and their involvement. After landing on DDay he had to wait for the rest of the Divisional to arrive eventually the unit fought their way through to the south of Caen, where they held the ground against the Germans, allowing the American forces to push around and through, sustaining severe loss of life in the process.
Jean attended the ceremony in Normandy where the weather was very inclement, but she played her part, and told us that the new British Memorial, which has at last been completed after 78 years, is outstanding.
Jean’s presence in Normandy this year was marked by another meeting with the Duke of Edinburgh who remarked on her mobility to lay the wreath. Jean has mobility difficulties but was helped by her friends and led Prince Edward to remark that she reminded him of a Dalek in her walking frame and was relieved to see she had help laying the wreath.