A Second War A.F.C. group of eleven awarded to Group Captain D. M. Edwards, Royal Canadian Air Force Air Force Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated 1943 and additionally privately engraved ‘R.C.A.F. Group Captain D. Edwards C-126’; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence Medal, Canadian issue in silver; Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, with overseas clasp; War Medal 1939-45, Canadian issue in silver, with M.I.D. oak leaf; Coronation 1953, unnamed as issued; Canadian Forces Decoration, G.VI.R., with Second Award Bar (G/C D. M. Edwards); France, Fourth Republic, Legion of Honour, Chevalier’s breast badge, silver and enamel; Croix de Guerre, bronze, the reverse blank, with silver star and bronze palm emblem on riband; United States of America, Air Medal, bronze, unnamed as issued, mounted court-style for display; together with the recipient’s related miniature awards, these court-mounted as worn, enamel damage to LdeH, the AFC and CFD both lacquered, otherwise good very fine (11) £1,600-£2,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- A.F.C. London Gazette 1 January 1943. The original Recommendation, dated 7 September 1942, states: ‘Group Captain D. M. Edwards was appointed to Command the Central Flying School on the reorganisation in March 1940. During the period of his command the school trained over 900 instructors. The excellent results were achieved not only by the sound basic organisation which was incorporated in this school by Group Captain Edwards but also by the amount of flying instruction that he personally gave during his tenure of office. An excellent pilot, Group Captain Edwards set an outstanding example to those pupils who served under him and were instructed by him, and the devotion to duty shown by this officer should not pass unrecognised. After a period of Air Force Headquarters, Group Captain Edwards was posted to command No. 1 SFTS, Camp Borden where he is continuing to show outstanding leadership, particularly in flying. He has completed 2500 hours flying of which 1800 hours have been on flying instructional duties. It is therefore felt that a suitable reward for this officer's work, particularly in regard to flying instruction that he has accomplished, should be the Air Force Cross.’ M.I.D. London Gazette 1 January 1945. The original Recommendation, dated 28 July 1944, states: ‘Group Captain Edwards, through his firm but cheerful leadership, has built up an unusual “esprit de corps” on his station. He has imbued his squadrons with an exceptionally strong desire to excel all other squadrons in their Group in all aspects of their training and operational work. Through his personal enthusiasm and interest he has greatly improved the buildings and their surroundings on his station, which is of the dispersed type. This had contributed immeasurable to the morale and well-being of his personnel.’ Douglas Muir Edwards was born in Ottawa, Ontario, on 29 September 1908 and was educated at the Ottawa Collegiate Institute ands the Royal Military College. Commissioned into the Royal Canadian Air Force in June 1930, he was promoted Flying Officer in October 1931, ands was assigned as Adjutant and Flying Instructor to 112 Army Co-operation Squadron in November 1935. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in April 1936 and continued on instructional duties until being promoted Squadron Leader in April 1939, being appointed Commanding Officer of the Central Flying School at R.C.A.F. Station, Trenton. Promoted Wing Commander in December 1940, Edwards transferred to Air Force HQ in March 1941, before being appointed Commanding Officer, 1 Service Flying Training School, Camp Borden, in March 1942. Promoted Group Captain in June 1942, for his outstanding work as Commanding Officer, Central Flying School, he was awarded the Air Force Cross in January 1943. Transferring to the United Kingdom in May 1943, he was appointed Deputy Base Commander of the R.C.A.F. Station at Linton-on-Ouse, before assuming Command of R.C.A.F. Station Croft in December 1943. Having been Mentioned in Despatches for this work, in August 1944 he was appointed R.C.A.F. Liaison Officer on the staff of General Hoyt Vandenberg in command of the 9th U.S. Army Air Force, serving there until the cessation of hostilities, before being appointed to the Canadian Embassy in Paris as R.C.A.F. Air Attaché. For his services he was awarded the United States Air Medal per AFRO 165/48 on 19 March 1948, and was awarded the French Legion of Honour and Croix de Guerre with silver star per AFRO 737/48 on 4 December 1948 and AFRO 485/47 on 12 September 1947 respectively. Returning to Canada, Edwards was appointed Director, Air Intelligence at R.C.A.F. Headquarters, Ottawa in October 1951, before returning to Europe once more as Air Attaché, Bonn, in August 1955. He retired in 1960, after thirty years’ service, and was subsequently employed as the European representative for A. V. Roe Canada Ltd. He died in Germany on 3 March 1963. Sold with various photographic images of the recipient; and a large quantity of copied research.
