Harold Edwards (RCAF officer)
| Harold Edwards | |
|---|---|
Air Marshal Edwards in 1943
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Gus |
| Born |
24 December 1892 Chorley, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 23 February 1952 (aged 59) Scottsdale, Arizona, United States |
| Buried | Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Canada |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom Canada |
| Service/ |
Royal Navy Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1915–1944 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands held | RCAF Overseas |
| Battles/wars |
First World War Second World War |
| Awards |
Companion of the Order of the Bath Mentioned in Despatches (2) Order of St. Stanislaus (Poland) Order of St. Anna (Russia) Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Croix de guerre (France) Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion (Czechoslovakia) |
Air Marshal Harold "Gus" Edwards, CB (24 December 1892 – 23 February 1952) was a Canadian Air Force officer who played a prominent role in building the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). From November 1941 to December 1943, Edwards served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Overseas where he was responsible for all RCAF personnel. In June 2012, Edwards was posthumously inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame for his "outstanding leadership in building Canada's national air force".
Harold Edwards was born in Chorley, Lancashire, England on 24 December 1892; he immigrated with his family to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1903. At age fourteen, he left school to work as a trapper boy in the coal mines, but also began home study following his shifts. By the age of 18 he qualified as the mine's chief electrician, and by 1915 he had educated himself to a sufficiently high level to be accepted into the Royal Naval Air Service. Edwards earned his pilot's wings in 1916 and graduated as a flight sub-lieutenant.
During the First World War, Edwards was posted to No. 3 (Naval) Wing at Luxeuil-les-Bains, France, where he shot down one German aircraft, but was then himself shot down and captured. After two failed attempts to escape he succeeded on the third attempt; only to be recaptured and returned to Colmar for the remainder of the war. After repatriation to England, Edwards joined the Royal Air Force (RAF), which had been formed on 1 April 1918 by amalgamating the Royal Naval Air Service and the Army's Royal Flying Corps. In 1919, Edwards held the rank of captain in the RAF and volunteered to fly in the fight against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution in South Russia. He was assigned to No. 47 Squadron under the leadership of Major Raymond Collishaw. For service in Russia, he received the Order of Saint Stanislaus and the Order of St. Anna as well as being Mentioned in Despatches.
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