Edge was called up for service in the
Royal Air Force (RAF) a week before the outbreak of the
Second World War.
No. 605 Squadron, which operated
Hawker Hurricane fighters, was tasked with the defence of the
Royal Navy base at
Scapa Flow. On 10 April Edge and other pilots of the squadron engaged several
Heinkel He 111 medium bombers to the east of Scapa Flow. Edge damaged three of these aircraft. He shared in the shooting down of a
Dornier Do 17 medium bomber over the sea near Dumner Head on 9 May.
Battle of France A week after the 10 May
invasion of France and the Low Countries, No. 605 Squadron was moved to
Hawkinge in
Kent; from here the squadron flew
sorties to France where
Luftwaffe aircraft were attacking the retreating
British Expeditionary Force. Edge damaged one
Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter over France on 22 May, and claimed to have shot down a second although this was not confirmed. The next day he damaged a He 111 and two Bf 109s. On 25 May, in sorties in the area around
Calais, Edge destroyed three, possibly four,
Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers and a Bf 109 although the latter was recorded as a
Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter in his log book. He shot down a
Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber to the east of
Courtrai the next day, also claiming a second as probably destroyed and a Bf 110 as damaged. On a sortie to the southeast of
Dunkirk on 27 May, Edge shot down two Do 17s, one of these shared. On the squadron's final sortie, a patrol over Dunkirk, several of its pilots were killed or shot down. This left Edge and one other pilot as the last of the original complement of aircrew that was serving with the squadron at the start of the war.
Battle of Britain After the campaign in France, No. 605 Squadron moved to
Drem for a rest and to reequip. Promoted to
flight lieutenant in early June, later that month he was appointed commander of one of the squadron's
flights. On 5 September Edge, promoted to acting
squadron leader, took command of
No. 253 Squadron. Operating Hurricanes from
Kenley, his new unit was heavily engaged as the
Luftwaffe escalated its operations against the RAF airfields in the south of England, being scrambled multiple times a day to counter incoming bombing raids. Edge was known for his aggressive tactics, leading the squadron in head-on attacks against approaching bomber formations. On 7 September Edge shot down two He 111s over
Thameshaven and also damaged a third. The squadron was involved in the interception of large bombing raids on 9 and 11 September and across these two days, Edge claimed to have shot down four Ju 88s, two He 111s with a third probably destroyed, and a Bf 109. Edge was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross on 13 September. Two days later, on what became known as
Battle of Britain Day, he shot down a Do 17 and Ju 88. On 26 September, Edge's Hurricane was damaged during an engagement with fighters over the
English Channel. His aircraft in flames, Edge bailed out and came down in the sea off
Dungeness. He was collected by a fisherman and, stricken with burns, was taken to hospital to Willsborough Hospital at
Ashford. He returned to duty with
No. 253 Squadron on 14 November but was still hampered by his injuries and placed on sick leave. Later in the month he was posted to the Middle East to establish
No. 73 Operational Training Unit at
Aden. He was subsequently assigned to the
Western Desert Air Force Command Centre as the Senior Air Staff Officer. In July 1943, Edge, who had been involved in the preparations for the
invasion of Sicily, returned to the United Kingdom for health reasons. He was
mentioned in despatches in September, and on recovery of his health, served as a controller at
Colerne. He was appointed commander of
No. 84 Group Control Centre towards the end of the year. He was promoted to temporary
wing commander in January 1944. Following the
Normandy landings, Edge led his unit to France and his wing commander rank was made substantive in August. In the
1945 New Year Honours, Edge was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He subsequently served as a staff officer at the
Air Ministry, working on operational requirements, until he left the RAF in late 1945, holding the rank of
group captain. ==Later life==