At
seven thousand feet the ailerons froze, and after uncontrollably losing
two thousand feet the pilot ordered the crew to bail out. Wrestling desperately
to regain control of the disabled Blenheim, he finally conceded defeat
at seven hundred feet and left the crippled machine. His parachute fouled
the radio mast, and he was dragged down with the machine as it ploughed
into the hills along the Scottish border.
Hughie Edwards was a graduate of Point
Cook who was strongly censured for his low flying exploits during training,
including "bouncing" and narrowly avoiding a train. After transferring
to the RAF, he nearly met his end over Scotland in 1938, but amazingly
was only "severely damaged" and after two years was ( in April 1940 ) returned
to flying duties, although permanently paralysed below the right knee.
Edwards was promoted to the command
of 105sqn. (Blenheim IVs) in May 1940, and within a month of his appointment
he won the first of his four DFCs, with a
soon to become characteristic low level attack., in this instance on shipping.
Then on July 4, his 36th operational
sortie, he was detailed to lead fifteen Blenheims ( nine from 105, and
six from 107 squadrons) on a raid of the industrial complex of Bremen.
Due to tactical considerations this had to be a daylight raid, and the
planning was left to him. The weather was clear, the only cloud being very
thin stratus at 6000 feet. He decided on a low level approach as a unit
from the sea, then to fan out into line abreast and individually choose
targets of opportunity. Once the raid was completed the crews were to return
by whatever route and method they preferred.
During the approach to the German coastline
they flew at an altitude of fifty feet but were sighted by Axis warships
who reported their presence to the defences. Realising that they had lost
the initiative, Edwards took his crews down to "nought Feet" and hedge
hopped the last fifty miles to Bremen to regain some measure of surprise.
Approaching the outer defences they encountered a balloon barrage, and
after threading their way through that they were immediately attacked by
the forewarned anti-aircraft gunners.
As the pilots spread out into the arranged
attack formation, the defences started taking their toll, knocking down
four machines in quick succession. Edwards, after climbing slightly to
clear the masts of moored craft and then dropping down again to get under
some high tension lines roared in across the dock area and released his
bomb load. Then staying as low as possible, crossed the suburbs and proceeded
to circle the city to watch the rest of the raid. In total, he spent ten
minutes over the target, his Blenheim being repeatedly raked by ground
fire leaving the fuselage riddled with holes, and his gunner wounded after
a shell exploded in the rear cockpit. Only when the rest of the group had
delivered their loads and flown clear did he complete his reconnaissance
and leave.
Again flying at very low level he made
for Wilhemshaven, and detoured north of the Fresian Islands before returning
to England. When the eleven surviving Blenheims returned, ( Edwards being
the last in, just before midday) the condition of the machines and in particular
the amount of German telegraph wire that was brought back caused much wry
amusement.
The London Gazette announced, on July
22nd, the award of a Victoria Cross to Wing Commander H.I. Edwards for
displaying "...the highest possible standards of gallantry and determination."
Within twelve months 105 sqn. had re-equipped
with Mosquitoes, and became specialists at low level daylight attacks.
Edwards, who had been posted elsewhere the previous September, returned
to again be their CO.
Hughie Edwards survived the war to
become Governor of Western Australia in 1974.
