Edward Francis John Charles, (6 February 1919 – 5 November 1986) was an English-born Canadian officer and flying ace who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. During his service with the RAF, he was credited with at least fifteen aerial victories.
Born in Coventry, Charles's family emigrated to Saskatchewan in Canada when he was a child. He joined the RCAF in early 1938 and transferred to the RAF the following year. After his training was completed, he was posted to No. 81 (Communications) Squadron. He volunteered to serve with Fighter Command in August 1940 and was sent to No. 54 Squadron, flying the Supermarine Spitfire fighter. He flew during the later stages of the Battle of Britain, then in the Circus offensive the following year, during which he claimed several aircraft destroyed. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in July 1941, he spent the final few months of the year and most of 1942 on instructing duties.
Charles returned to operations in early 1943 and was soon appointed commander of No. 611 Squadron. Later in the year, he flew as a wing leader from Middle Wallop and then Portreath. During this time he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, having already received a bar to his DFC earlier in the year. He subsequently took up a staff role at No. 10 Group and was later transferred to the RCAF. He later served on the staff of the Allied Expeditionary Air Forces and as commander of Tangmere station. In the postwar period he remained in the RCAF but by 1949 had developed schizophrenia and was discharged from the RCAF on medical grounds two years later. He spent the remainder of his life in hospital care in Vancouver where he died in 1986, aged 67.
Early life
Edward Francis John Charles was born in Coventry, England, on 6 February 1919, the son of a former pilot in the Royal Flying Corps. His family moved to Canada as a child, settling in Lashburn, Saskatchewan. Educated at Lashburn High School, Charles served in the militia from June 1937, as part of the 16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse, and then in January 1938, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The following year he went to the United Kingdom and was granted a five-year short service commission as a pilot officer in the Royal Air Force (RAF), with effect from 15 May 1939. After training at No. 5 Flying Training School at Shotwick and then No. 3 Flying Training School at South Cerney, he went to the School of Army Co-Operation in September 1939.
Second World War
Posted to No. 81 Squadron in December 1939, Charles served with this unit until June 1940. He was transferred to No. 2 Squadron, which operated Westland Lysanders in an Army Co-Operation role, but within a matter of weeks volunteered for Fighter Command. In August, he went to No. 7 Operational Training Unit and the next month was posted to No. 54 Squadron. By this time he was a flying officer, having been promoted to this rank on 3 September. The squadron, operating Supermarine Spitfire fighters, had been intensively engaged in the aerial fighting over the southeast of England during the peak of the Battle of Britain and was now based at Catterick. It carried out the odd scramble to intercept approaching Luftwaffe bombers but otherwise saw little action.
Circus offensive
In February 1941, No. 54 Squadron relocated to Hornchurch and began to be involved in Fighter Command's circus offensive, regularly flying sweeps to France to draw out Luftwaffe fighters and to escort bombers. On one of these, carried out on 17 April, Charles shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter to the east of Manston, his first aerial victory. Following an engagement over Cap Gris-Nez, he claimed a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter as probably destroyed on 17 June, beginning a run of successes over the next month. On 21 June, flying as part of the Hornchurch fighter wing, he destroyed a Bf 109 over the English Channel and three days later, over the Pas-de-Calais region, probably destroyed another. While over Lille on 27 June, he shot down a Bf 109 which was followed by a claim for another Bf 109 as probably destroyed on 30 June. Another Bf 109 was claimed as a probable on 4 July and on the same sortie, over Béthune, he definitively destroyed a second. On 8 July, he shared in the probable destruction of a Bf 109 near Lille and the next day shot down a Bf 109 while flying near Saint-Omer. His successes saw him awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), the official announcement being made on 15 July. The published citation read:
