Harold (Gus) Edwards was a Flight Sub Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Air Service in England in June 1916, prior to his transfer in August to 3 (Naval) Wing at Luxeuil-les Bains, France. Edwards participated in a number of raids before being shot down on his return from the reprisal raid on Freiburg on 14 April 1917. Here is his description of that event, written to a friend:

“...I am a prisoner at Karlsruhe. I was shot down after lengthy engagement with several enemy machines. My Observer (J.L.Coghlin) was wounded in about 15 places and died a few minutes after we came down. My controls were shot away and I fell all the way completely out of control. Luckily we struck the ground in such a way that I was unhurt. Since then I have sombered away with a knawing in my stomach like many others who have shared this fate.”

After several failed attempts, he and two others did manage to escape, but were recaptured after ten days on the run, and he spent the remainder of WWI in various prison camps. Following service in Russia as a Captain in the Royal Air Force, he returned to Canada in 1920 and joined the Canadian Air Force. He served continuously until 1944, retiring as an Air Marshal, his last posting to London as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Air Force Overseas from 1942 to 1944.

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