Trafford

His parents married in London in 1909.  In 1911, his father's occupation
was given as Solicitor's Clerk and his mother, a Showroom Assistant.

John was born at Antwerp, Belgium in 1914, the son of Harold Westbrook &
Harriet Emily Edward (nee Broomhead).  The birth was registered as a
Consulate Birth (British Subject) 1911 - 1915.

At the outbreak of war in September 1939, John volunteered for service with
the Royal Artillery.  He transferred to the R.A.F. in 1942.

His DFC award was Gazetted on the 11th February 1944 whilst he was serving
in 50 Squadron.  The 18/02/1944 edition of the local newspaper reports the
details of his award of the DFC.   It also states that his address was
"Newlands", 12 Portland Road, Bowdon.

"He was making his run up to their Berlin target when he was attacked by
two German aircraft, a Junkers 88 and a Focke Wolfe 190.   The JU88 was
shot down (doesn't say if he was the one who shot it down) and the FW190
was out-manoeuvred whilst he completed his mission".   His citation read,
"He invariably presses home his attacks regardless of all enemy opposition.
 Both in the air and on the ground, his courage has been of the highest
praise".

On his final mission, flying with 617 Sqn, Flight Lieutenant Edward DFC
took off at 16.25 hours on the 24th June 1944 from RAF Woodhall Spa in a
Lancaster bomber Mk 1 - number DV 403 KC-G for a bombing operation against
the V.2 launching bunker site at Wizernes, Pas de Calais.    This was the
third raid on the Wizernes site.    [This site is now a museum]

His a/c was hit by Flak and his port wing caught fire.  He began to lose
height, slowly at first, but then went out of control and blew up before it
hit the ground at the village of Leulinghem, near St. Omer.  Each a/c
carried one Tallboy bomb with an 11 second delay fuse.

The aircraft was armed with one of Dr. Barnes Wallis's, "Tallboy"
(12,000lb) bombs designed to penetrate this thick domed concrete
installation.   The aircraft was hit by Ack-Ack and crashed at 16.58 hours
at Leulinghem, situated 7 km S.W. of St. Omer.

The pilot (F/L - J.A.Edward) and two of the three Air Gunners (WO2 - T.W.P.
Price RCAF and F/S - S. Isherwood) rest at Leulinghem Churchyard.  F/O -
L.W.J. King DFC and P/O - J.I. Johnston DFC,  RCAF (the latter died of
wounds soon after the crash) are buried at Longuenesse - St. Omer -
Souvenir Cemetery.    Three more of the crew were taken prisoner.

The CWGC list his parents address as Willand, Devon.