Air Vice Marshal Sir Humphrey Edwardes-Jones KCB CBE DFC AFC (deceased)

One of the original members of the Cambridge University Air Squadron Sir Humphrey was granted a Permanent Commission in the Royal Air Force upon graduation from Cambridge. He was posted to No.5 FTS Sealand on 18th September 1926 where he flew Avros and Sopwith Snipes. In September 1927 he was posted to No.1 Sqn Tangmere to fly Siskins, but after a year was posted to the Central Flying School at Wittering to become a flying instructor. After serving in several Training Schools at home he was posted to No.4 FTS Abu Sueir, Egypt. In March 1932 he was posted to command A Flight No.208 (Army Cooperation) Sqn, Helipolis. For three years the Flight co-operated in turn with the Cairo Brigade, the Canal Brigade and the Cavalry Brigade.

On returning home in March 1935 he was posted to the Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment at Martlesham Heath as a test pilot. He was commanding A Flight when the prototype Spitfire arrived at Martlesham on 26th May 1936. It was immediately flown by him and on his telephoned report to the Air Member for Research and Development, Air Marshal Sir Wilfred Freeman, an order was placed for 310 Spitfires eight days later.

In April 1937 he was given command of No.213 Sqn which had just been formed at Northolt. The squadron, equipped with Gloster Gladiators, moved to Church Fenton in July and then to Wittering next spring when it was re-equipped with Hurricanes. After the fall of France the squadron moved to Biggin Hill to cover the Dunkirk operation, during which he was warded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

In June 1940 he was posted to command No.56 OTU Sutton Bridge and in May 1941 to form a Night Fighter OTU at East Fortune. In September 1941 he was posted to command a Spitfire OTU at Grangemouth with the acting rank of Group Captain.

In February 1942 he was posted to command the Exeter Fighter Sector from which the Polish Fighter Wing and Night Fighter Squadron operated, then replaced with the Czech Fighter Wing.

In August 1942 he took command of No.323 Wing forming in Cheshire for Operation Torch. On arrival in Algeria on D Day (8th November 1942) he took over command of Maison Blanche with some 180 fighter aircraft flown in from Gibraltar. After an initial success on D-Day+2 in which 29 out of 30 enemy bombers were destroyed, most of the squadron's concerns moved on to more forward bases.

In May 1943 he was posted to the newly formed Middle Eastern Air Headquarters as Group Captain Fighter Ops. In July 1944 he reformed No.210 Group with air defence and anti-submarine respnsibilities for the Western Mediterranean. After the invasion of the south of France the Group took over the air defence of Marseilles and the whole of Provence.

On the disbandment of No.210 Group he became SASO Middle Eastern Air Force at Casirta and the Air Commodore Ops MAAF.

On returning home in October 1945 he was posted to the Joint Planning Staff in the Ministry of Defence and in February 1947 tothe Central Flying Establishment West Raynham as Group Captain Tactics which entailed visits to all the Commonwealth Air Forces and all overseas Commands.

After attending the Imperial Defence College in 1950 he was appointed Director of Plans, Air Ministry, but was posted in February 1952 to 2nd TAF Germany as SASO with the rank of Air Vice Marshal. He returned home in early 1955 to take up the post of Commondant of the School of Land/Air Warfare at Old Sarum. On 1st June 1957 he was posted to command 2nd TAF Germany with the rank of Air Marshal and was made a KCB. This post also entailed command of the 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force wit hthe Belgian and Netherlands Air Forces under operational command.

He returned to the United Kingdom in 1961 on retirement from the Royal Air Force. He died on 19th January 1987.

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