Wilson Victor Edwards was born on 19 July 1918 in Los Angeles, California, USA the fifth of the six children of James Barrett Edwards (1877-1952) and Emory Bertie Edwards née Wilson (1880-1929). His siblings were: Ruth E. Edwards (b.1905), Trudy H. Edwards (b.1907), James Homer Edwards (1908-1994), Mildred E. Edwards (1910-1996) and Winifred Frankiete Edwards (1922-2008).
By 1920 he was living with his family in Winslow, Navajo County, Arizona, USA. From the American Air Museum in Britain website we learn that he trained as pilot at the Spartan Flight School, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, before joining the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was attached as a Pilot Officer in No.133 Eagle Squadron in November 1941.
On 25 September 1942, when the Eagle Squadrons transferred to the United States Army Air Forces, he was attached to their 336th Fighter Squadron as a 1st Lieutenant, service number O-885223. Promoted to Captain on 7 May 1943 and Major on 1 January 1944, he served in their 4th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force from 20 June 1944 and later became the Commanding Officer in the 336th Fighter Squadron. On 13 July 1944 he was flying a North American Aviation P-51 Mustang aeroplane, serial number 44-13608 that was hit by flak and crashed at Hattgenstein, Germany. He parachuted near Metz, France and was in the process of being beaten and lynched by local civilians before being “rescued” by German soldiers. He spent the rest of the war in Stalag Luft I Prisoner of War camp in Barth, Western Pomerania, Germany. He gained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on 1 November 1945.
On 6 August 1946 he married Barbara Jean McBiles (1929-1984) in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA and they had three children: Victoria Jo Edwards (b.1948), Thomas Alden Edwards (1949-2009) and Mark Christopher Edwards (b.1950). He and his wife were divorced in 1956 and on 15 August 1959 he married Barbara Jean Bates (1931-2021) in Colorado, USA.
He remained in the United States Air Force (USAF) for 26 years, holding posts in the Air Training Command and the Air Defence Command. He also served overseas in France, Germany and Italy. His last assignment was as Director of Maintenance, McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington, USA, retiring in 1968. For his American military service he was awarded the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Prisoner of War Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
From 1968 to 1972 he was the City Planner in the City of Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, USA and from 1972 to 1980 he worked as a USAF consultant on the Distant Early Warning Line radar system. He became a Flight Instructor in 1980 in Colorado Springs and in 2001 was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame.
He died, aged 91 years, on 7 August 2009 and his remains were interred in the Garden of Angels, Freedom Columbarium, Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum, Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, USA.
He is shown as Pilot Officer Wilson Edwards of No.133 Eagle Squadron, on the Eagle Squadrons war memorial in Grosvenor Square, London, W1.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
