Wing Commander Hughie Idwal Edwards RAF outside the gates of Buckingham Palace with his wife, Cherry (née Kyrle) after the investiture ceremony where he was awarded the Victoria Cross by King George VI, 17 February 1942. Edwards, from Fremantle, Western Australia, did his flying training with the RAAF and in 1936 was selected for transfer to the RAF as a Pilot Officer. A severe accident in a Blenheim bomber in 1938 nearly finished his flying career and he walked with a limp thereafter. Edwards' war career made him one of Australia's best known flyers: he flew in Blenheims, Lancasters and Mosquitos; was a Chief Flying Instructor; gained the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), and the DFC; and spent a period as commanding officer of No. 460 Squadron RAAF. [AWM SUK10172]
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