Harold Edwards was born in Chorley, Lancashire, England on 24 December 1892; he immigrated with his family to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1903.

At age fourteen, he left school to work as a trapper boy in the coal mines, but also began home study following his shifts.

By the age of 18 he qualified as the mine's chief electrician, and by 1915 he had educated himself to a sufficiently high level to be accepted into the Royal Naval Air Service.

In 1919, Edwards held the rank of captain in the RAF and volunteered to fly in the fight against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution in South Russia.

[4] After the war, Edwards returned to Canada and joined the newly-formed Canadian Air Force, a few months after its formation on 18 February 1920.

[9] Edwards also recommended that crew size of the Vickers Viking flying boat be reduced from four to three to carry more stores and safety equipment.

The patrols were flown in consort with RCMP marine vessels to thwart illegal rum running along the Nova Scotia coast.

After the disastrous 1936 coal mine tragedy at Moose River, the provincial premier requested Edwards' assistance in coordinating the rescue mission.

153 (Dartmouth Air Station) where his sound judgement and untiring energy have been the main factor in carrying out this work under considerable [social upheaval] difficulties".

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Canada agreed to be the principal venue for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), which involved the construction of 107 flying schools and 184 other units at 231 sites across the country.

In January 1942, in the midst of the Second World War, Edwards was transferred to London, England as the "Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RCAF Overseas".

Edwards' wide range of experience in administration, his concern for the welfare of both officers and other ranks, and certainly his forceful personality made him the best choice to command all RCAF personnel overseas, not only in England but also in the Middle and Far East.

Similarly, with the ever-increasing number of RCAF personnel in the Mediterranean and Far East, district headquarters were opened in Cairo, Egypt and India.

[23] Eighteen RCAF fighter squadrons, organized into six Canadian wings, formed the largest Commonwealth contingent in the RAF's Second Tactical Air Force.

6 Group RCAF in RAF Bomber Command earned recognition of Canada's major role in carrying the fight to the enemy in the night skies over Nazi occupied Europe.

[24] By the end of the Second World War, RCAF BCATP establishments and squadrons in Europe constituted the fourth largest Allied air force.