Sapper Maxwell Gilder Adams was an American citizen born 18 January 1923 in Fort Burnett, Texas. He first enlisted in the Royal Regiment of Canada in Toronto on 5 June 1940 but when it was discovered that he was underage he was discharged after serving only six months. He spent the next few months as a punch press operator and, although he could have joined the American Army, he re-enlisted in the Canadian Army on 30 March 1942 – this time in the Royal Canadian Artillery. In June 1943 he transferred to the Royal Canadian Engineers and was qualified as a motorcyclist. He arrived in the UK on 17 July 1943 and was posted into 6th Field Company on 8 October 1943. At that time the training emphasis in the Company focused on Assault Training and its focus further sharpened in the first few months of 1944 in preparation for the D-Day landing and assault.
On the morning of 6 June 1944, Maxwell was a member of L/Cpl Earl Teskey’s sub-section supporting No. 10 Platoon of the Winnipeg Rifles in the first wave of the assault. The group was hit by heavy machine gun fire as they landed and Adams was killed. Initially buried in a Graye Sur Mer orchard, his final resting place is the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in France.
…. Based on Research conducted by the 6th Field Engineer Squadron Museum Association.