CREW MEMBER PROFILE

Surname:

EDWARDS

First Name/s:

Ernest Charles

Service No/s:

1321526

Service:

RAFVR

Branch:

Air Bomber

Awards:

Air Crew Europe Star, 1939-1945 Star, War Medal
Return

SERVICE RECORDS

Date

Event

Aircraft Flown
03 Jul 1941

Enlisted at St Michael’s Hall, Shoe Lane, Oxford, Oxfordshire, as Aircraftman Second Class (AC2), mustering as Air Crew Hand (Pilot). Selected for training as Pilot or Observer.

04 Jul 1941

Transferred to the Reserve pending call-up.

13 Oct 1941

Called up to No. 1 Air Crew Reception Centre (1 ACRC), Lord’s Cricket Ground, St John’s Wood, London NW8.

25 Oct 1941

No. 11 Initial Training Wing (11 ITW), Prince of Wales Hotel, Scarborough, Yorkshire.

05 Dec 1941

Promoted to Leading Aircraftman (LAC) and remustered as under training pilot.

01 Apr 1942

No. 9 Recruit Centre, Blackpool, Lancashire.

13 Apr 1942

Embarked UK for South Africa (port & vessel n/k)
Date? – Disembarked in South Africa (port n/k).

10 May 1942

No. 75 Air School (tbc), Lyttelton, Pretoria, Gauteng.

Tiger Moth
10 May 1942

No. 6 Air School (tbc), Potchefstroom, North West

Tiger Moth
04 Nov 1942

No. 100 Air School, Voortrekkerhoogte, Centurion, Pretoria, Gauteng; for ‘regimental training’.

12 Nov 1942

Remustered as under training Air Bomber.

26 Nov 1942

No. 48 Air School (Elementary Air Navigation School), Woodbrook, East London, Eastern Cape.

Tiger Moth, Tutor
11 Jan 1943

Recommended for training as an Air Bomber.

11 Jan 1943

No. 42 Air School (Air Navigator Training), Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape.

Anson
27 Mar 1943

Awarded Air Bomber’s brevet, promoted to Sergeant, and remustered as Air Bomber.

29 Mar 1943

Illegible – possibly embarked South Africa for the UK (port & vessel n/k).
Date? – Disembarked UK (port n/k).

28 May 1943

No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre (7 PRC), Spa Hotel, Harrogate, Yorkshire (using the Spa, Majestic, Queen, Adelphi, or Cecil Hotels for accommodation).

08 Jun 1943

No. 1 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit (1 (O)AFU), Wigtown, Wigtownshire, Scotland.

Anson
06 Jul 1943

No. 30 Operational Training Unit (30 OTU), Hixon, Staffordshire; joins unknown crew

Wellington
15 Oct 1943

No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit, Lindholme, Yorkshire.

Halifax
08 Nov 1943

No. 1 Lancaster Finishing School (1 LFS), ‘A’ Flight, Lindholme, Yorkshire.

Lancaster
21 Dec 1943

Joined No. 576 Squadron, 'B' Flight at Elsham Wolds, Linconshire; joins F S Barnsdale crew, comprising:
Pilot: F S Barnsdale
Flight Engineer: E H Kenny
Air Bomber: E D Edwards
Navigator: A G Campbell RCAF
Wireless Operator: K J Willett
Air Gunners: C Clamp & G M Morris
Ops (10):

15 Feb 44 – Berlin
19 Feb 44 – Leipzig
20 Feb 44 – Stuttgart
24 Feb 44 – Schweinfurt
25 Feb 44 – Augsburg
22 Mar 44 – Frankfurt
24 Mar 44 – Berlin
26 Mar 44 – Essen
30 Mar 44 – Nuremburg; combat Me109- no damage

Lancaster
27 Mar 1944

Promoted to Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt).

11 Apr 1944

Aulnoye; lost in LL830 UL-R2, aged 23
Shot down by Helmut Bergmann of NJG4 in his Bf110 at 0230 (one of seven claimed that night in just 46 minutes). The aircraft came down in Haussy, 10 miles E of Cambrai
Buried Cambrai (Route de Solesmes) Communal Cemetery, grave 1.A.15
‘O TEACH ME FROM MY HEART TO SAY “THY WILL, MY GOD, BE DONE”’

Lancaster

576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS

Date

Aircraft

Code

Flight Details

T/O

Land

Flt Time

Crew

15 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

BERLIN

1715

0030

7h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

15 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

BERLIN

1715

0030

7h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

15 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

BERLIN

1715

0030

7h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

15 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

BERLIN

1715

0030

7h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

19 Feb 1944

LM439

UL-X2

LEIPZIG

2345

0730

7h45

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

20 Feb 1944

LM439

UL-X2

STUTTGART

2340

0740

8h00

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries.

24 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

SCHWEINFURT

1820

0225

8h05

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt G.S. Armstrong
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

25 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

AUGSBURG

1820

0225

8h05

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt G.S. Armstrong
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Aircraft factories Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

22 Mar 1944

LL830

UL-R2

FRANKFURT

1850

0050

6h00

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1,062x 4lb incendiaries

24 Mar 1944

LL830

UL-R2

BERLIN

1855

0320

8h25

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt A.W. Knapp
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 924x 4lb incendiaries

26 Mar 1944

LL830

UL-R2

ESSEN

1945

0115

5h30

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt A.W. Knapp
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1,170x 4lb incendiaries

30 Mar 1944

LL830

UL-R2

NUREMBERG

2200

0615

8h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt L.R.S. Templeton
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1,020x 4lb incendiaries Attacked by Bf-109; returned fire, but no damage was sustained to either aircraft

10 Apr 1944

LL830

UL-R2

AULNOYE

nk

FTR

uk

P1   Flt Lt F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt J. Torode
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Marshalling yards Load: 12x 1,000lb and 4x 500lb bombs Likely take off time 2320, but this is not shown in the Squadron records. The aircraft was shot down by Hauptmann Helmut Bergmann of 6/ NJG-4 in his Bf-110 at 0230 to the north of Solesmes (the second of seven bombers he shot down that night in just 46 minutes). The aircraft came down in Haussy, 10 miles E of Cambrai; there were no survivors

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Details

Ernest Charles Edwards was born 25 Jun 23 in Winchester, Hampshire, son of Charles Edwards and Winifred Maggie May Loveland. He had a sister; Barbara Evelyn (1927 - 2018); Barbara married a US soldier (Quentin Sellars) and emigrated to the US.

 

In September 1939 he was living with his parents and younger sister at 5 Highfield Terrace, Winchester, Hampshire, working as an apprentice linotype operator.  He was a member of the Air Training Corps.

 

He was killed 11 Apr 1944 in air operations over enemy-occupied territory.

 

PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS

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