E. C. W. "Eddie" Myers

Who is E. C. W. "Eddie" Myers?

Brigadier Edmund Charles Wolf Myers CBE DSO, more commonly known as Eddie was a British Army officer who fought in World War II. Myers was an officer in the Royal Engineers.

From October 1942 to early 1944, brevetted first to Colonel and then to Brigadier, he headed the SOE- controlled British Military Mission to occupied Greece. In this capacity, he was directly involved in the coordination of the rival ELAS and EDES partisan groups for the destruction of the Gorgopotamos viaduct in November 1942, and for the British destruction of the Asopos railway bridge on 21 June 1943 as part of Operation Animals. Increasingly drawn into the brewing conflict between the Communist-dominated ELAS and the royalist EDES, as well as into British designs to restore the unpopular Greek monarchy postwar, Myers was criticised by the Foreign Office for what they believed to be favourable treatment towards ELAS and he was removed from his post. He was succeeded as head of the British mission by his deputy, Chris "Monty" Woodhouse.

Being parachute-qualified, he then entered service as Commander Royal Engineers in the 1st Airborne Division. In this capacity he fought at the Battle of Arnhem. Myers was sent across the Rhine on 22 September to establish contact with the 1st Polish Parachute Brigade. As chief engineer officer, he was responsible for organizing the Rhine crossings of the Poles, and finally the evacuation of the remnants of the 1st Airborne Division from Arnhem. During this operation, he was wounded by shrapnel. For his part in the battle, he was awarded the Dutch Bronze Lion.