Edward Dixon Crew was born 24 December 1917 in a house on the Market Square, Higham Ferrers and was educated at Felsted School and Downing College, Cambridge.
[1] During the Battle of France the squadron was used for day and night operations against Germany troops and patrols over the Dunkirk beaches to protect the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force.
[1] With the Battle of Britain at its height the squadron aircraft were fitted with airborne radar, although the system was immature and the Blenheim was not the best night fighter.
[1] Between June and September 1944 the squadron had downed 181 V-1 flying bombs and Crew was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his leadership.
[1][3] Crew was seconded to the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1952 and at North Bay Ontario commanded Number 3 All Weather Operational Training Unit using among others the Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck.
With the advent of the flying bomb attacks on this country Wing Commander Crew displayed great skill and perseverance in devising tactics to meet the menace.
As a result, he shot down numerous flying bombs, whilst other members of this squadron took a heavy toll of them.