Former Normandy Veteran laid to rest in Wiltshire

The soldiers from the 9th Regiment of the Royal Logistic Corps led the cortege at the funeral of Mr Gullis at the West Wiltshire Crematorium at Semington on Thursday, June 20.

He was born on April 27 1925 and was part of D-Day on June 6, 1944 Britain's largest ever amphibious invasion.

Allan married his wife, Edna, on May 6 1944 in St Michael’s parish church, just weeks before D-Day took place.

The couple first met in 1941 at the Kings Arms in Melksham Market Place, where Edna was out celebrating her 19th birthday with her friends from the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force.

Soldiers with the 9th Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, pay tribute at the funeral of Normandy Veteran Allan Gullis. Trevor Porter 77148-2 (Image: Trevor Porter)

 The operation brought together the land, air and sea forces of the Allied Forces in one of the most significant turning points of the Second World War.

Allan, who was then 16, had just come off duty after signing up to the Home Guard because he was too young to fight in the regular armed forces.

Allan Gullis and his wife Edna. (Image: Gullis Family)

Both Allan and Edna had saved up their leave so that they could have a short honeymoon once they were married on the 6 May, 1944.

But they had to postpone their honeymoon as all leave was cancelled and Allan had only 48 hours to travel to Melksham, marry his sweetheart and return to London. 

Speaking about their wedding day in 1944, Allan said, “We couldn’t have any church bells as people might have thought there was an invasion!”

Edna’s friends from the WAAF rallied around to make it a special occasion and despite war-time shortages they had a beautiful ceremony.

Normandy Veteran Allan Gullis died on May 28.He is survived by his wife Edna. (Image: Gullis Family)

A month later Allan, by then a driver in the Royal Army Service Corps, was helping to transport equipment to build a Mulberry Harbour on the Normandy beaches.

The harbours were a portable structure used to unload supply ships on the French coast in the immediate aftermath of D-Day.

It would be more than a year later before Allan was reunited with Edna, who is now aged 102.

Of his 80-year marriage to Edna, Allan said: “It has been a honeymoon every single day.”

The couple went on to have three children, eight grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.