'White-faced with pain' - Fascinating tale of Shrewsbury World War II hero who was 'sprayed with bullets' as furthest advancing D-Day soldier
The fascinating tale has been shared of a Shropshire war hero who was seriously injured on D-Day while spearheading the allied invasion into France.
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Former Shrewsbury School pupil Major Edgar Gwilliam was the soldier who made the furthest penetration into Normandy on June 6, 1944, and received a spray of machine gun bullets across his torso for his trouble.
Now his medals have been bequeathed to the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum at Shrewsbury Castle.
Major Gwilliam was a junior army officer and part of the 2nd Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI).
The battalion’s mission was to “advance rapidly inland by some eight miles to seize control of the key strategic city of Caen’, according to museum researcher David Shergold.
The KSLI made rapid progress but, by nightfall, fell just short of the city.
Late in the day, the KSLI’s advance was spearheaded by Major Gwilliam, who had taken over the leading Y Company after the death of its commander, Major Peter Steel.
“Edgar decided to try and continue the advance, but wanted to check out the location of any German positions’ David said.
