William Henry Beedom Ayers

A Captain with the Royal Engineers, William died on 7th of June 1944 at the age of 27. 

William was born at Chesterton, Cambridgeshire, on 8 June 1916, a son of William Henry and Marguerite Mary Ayers. In 1921 his family lived at 4 Vobslei Road, Mells, Frome, Somerset. By 1929 they were living at Corton and in 1939 their address was 1 Fair View, Corton. 

William was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 12 September 1942 (London Gazette 9 October 1942). 

On D-Day William was the Troop Commander of 3 Troop, 79 Assault Squadron. He landed from Landing Craft Tank (114A) with two Sherman Crab Flail tanks, two Assault Vehicles Royal Engineers (AVRE), and two armoured D 7 Bulldozers. His unit landed on Queen Beach, Sword Sector, at H-Hour. 

Although the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records state that he was killed on 7 June, his unit's war diary shows that he was killed sixty minutes after H-Hour on D-Day  

His brother Francis Beedom Ayers also died on service.