Celebrating a WW2 Local Hero in Lyme During Veterans Day Ceremony

On Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – the Lyme Veterans Memorial Committee held a Veterans Day ceremony at the Veterans Memorial on the Lyme Town Hall complex.

By Olwen Logan

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November 12, 2025

Lyme Fire Chief John Evans picked up World War II Veteran Bill Gregory at Gregory’s home in Lyme and gave him a ceremonial ride in the Rescue One engine to Tuesday’s Veterans Day ceremony at the Town Hall. Photos by Mary Powell St. Louis.

LYME—On Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – the Lyme Veterans Memorial Committee held a Veterans Day ceremony at the Veterans Memorial on the Lyme Town Hall complex.

During the ceremony, Lyme resident and World War II Veteran Bill Gregory was given special recognition. He had received a ceremonial ride from his home in the Rescue One engine with Lyme Fire Chief John Evans and his son Archer Evans.

Bill Gregory stands proudly with his Seabees uniform at the ceremony.

The ceremony commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and included remarks by First Selectman and Veteran David Lahm along with speakers discussing veterans’ service in WWII and the impact of the war on the homefront.

Also included in the ceremony were the laying of a wreath and the presentation of a poster listing Lyme residents, who enlisted during World War II

Author

Olwen Logan grew up in a family of London educators but was inspired by her great grandfather, influential Daily Chronicle newspaper editor Alfred Ewen Fletcher, to pursue journalism. She built a successful career in efficiency analysis and senior audit management before launching her own PR-focused consultancy. After moving to the U.S. in 1990 and settling in Old Lyme in 1994, she became a staff writer for the now-closed Main Street News and later joined Jack Turner’s fledgling LymeLine.com, discovering the career she had always wanted—albeit in an unexpected digital form. Even after relocating to Maryland, she continued covering Lyme and Old Lyme with the same dedication, earning national recognition as a LION Publishers award finalist in 2020. After more than two decades of service, Olwen stepped away in November 2025, donating LymeLine.com to the newly formed nonprofit LymeLine Inc. and expressing her excitement for its continued growth and mission.