The son of a doctor, Edwards grew up at Benarth, a small estate in Conway, North Wales.
From an early age, he showed a talent for drawing horses, an artistic trait which may have come from his maternal grandmother, who was a pupil of George Romney.
It seemed he was heading for an Army career until it became apparent that his talents did not lie in that direction,[2] so his mother allowed him to study art in London, first with A.S.
On the outbreak of the Great War, he volunteered as a Remount Purchasing Officer along with his contemporaries, Cecil Aldin and Sir Alfred Munnings.
On being demobilised, he and his family moved to West Tytherley, near Salisbury, where he lived for the rest of his life.