227 abilities and shooting instincts.1 It was just the beginning and Eddie’s score continued to mount over the coming months. By May, 94 Squadron had suffered heavy losses and was withdrawn from front line service. Edwards was posted to 260 Squadron RAF. On his first flight with 260, he damaged an Me 109 and on his second sortie, destroyed another. On paper Edwards was promoted to Warrant Officer in July and commissioned as a Pilot Officer in August. In practice he went directly from the rank of Flight Sergeant to that of Flying Officer in December and he had already led the squadron on several occasions as a Flight Sergeant. Like Edward’s promotions, official recognition in the form of decorations, similarly caught up with Edwards. On 31 January 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM), an award for non-commissioned ranks and then the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), an officer’s decoration, four days later!
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