Air Marshal Harold "Gus" Edwards, (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".
Early life
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.
First World War
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.
Interwar years
After the war, Edwards returned to Canada and joined the newly-formed Canadian Air Force, a few months after its formation on 18 February 1920. Following a short flying refresher he was posted to Ottawa and placed in charge of the personnel branch where he was responsible for documenting Canadians with First World War experience in the RAF then recruiting them into the provisional air force and setting up an air training centre at Camp Borden. By 1924, the Canadian Air Force had grown sufficiently to acquire permanent status as a component of the new Department of Defence. On 1 April 1924, Canada's national air force was accorded royal assent and officially established as the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Following his work to develop a personnel organization for Canada's national air force, Edwards returned to flying duties in June 1924 and was appointed Officer-in-Charge of Victoria Beach, a flying boat detachment of RCAF Station Winnipeg on the south shore of Lake Winnipeg. The program to photograph Canada from the air began in earnest in 1924, with the Manitoba detachments leading the other units in Canada by photographing in over 180 hours of flying. Edwards demonstrated that aerial photography was equally accurate to ground surveys and saved a time and labour. Edwards also recommended that crew size of the Vickers Viking flying boat be reduced from four to three to carry more stores and safety equipment. He also wrote a report documenting and standardizing how aerial mapping photos were taken. The Manitoba detachment also led other RCAF detachments in forestry patrols, flying 1,020 hours on forest fire patrols, timber cruising and transporting officials to inaccessible regions. The work of Edwards and his compatriots fostered an "air mindedness" in Canada and paved the way for Canada's civil aviation pioneers. Edwards' Commanding Officer reported him to be, "A very capable pilot and efficient officer in every respect – keen and energetic. A good organizer and Commander".
