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Serving behind enemy lines for a Wolverhampton man; one of the first to join the SAS

(By Major (Retd) Stephen W. Morgans)

Pre-war army career and call-up

Whenever the SAS (Special Air Service) is mentioned on the news, everyone is immediately aware that members of this highly trained and resourceful Army Regiment are involved in difficult and dangerous assignments, all over the world. They are the elite when it comes to operating behind enemy lines, and each time they see action, their activities are kept a closely guarded secret. It could well be the SAS is regarded as a modern phenomenon amongst some people, but the regiment was in fact conceived during the Second World War.

George Edwards was born in Derry Street, Wolverhampton, on Sunday June 9, 1912. At the age of 16 he was already a member of the Territorials, attached to a Machine Gun Squadron in Wednesfield, and in 1930 transferred to the Regulars and joined the 4/7 Dragoon Guards. He served six years with the colours and in 1936 went into the reserves, with his Army career, to all intents and purposes, at an end.

But with the threat of war with Germany a realistic possibility in the early months of 1939, all reservists were ordered to be on stand-by, and just before war was declared in September, George was recalled to Regular Army duties. He was sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force, but contracted TB and had to spend seven long months in a French hospital. He returned to England just a few weeks before the fall of France to continue his convalescence, and having suffered damage to his lungs from the TB, one would have thought he would have thrown in the towel and let the younger soldiers carry the burden of fighting the Germans. George, however, was made of sterner stuff and his resilience and courage would not let him be beaten by anything.

Joining the SAS

As soon as he was able he joined 53rd Training Regiment as a gunnery instructor based at RAC Tidworth, then transferred to the 54th Training Regiment at Barnard Castle to carry on in the same vein. Then came the biggest step in his Army career; he completed a parachute course in 1942 and was approached by Major Paddy Mayne and encouraged to join the elite fighting forces of the Special Air Service. This meant secret operations behind enemy lines, but George has no hesitation and joined immediately.

Parachuted into France

He first parachuted into France in 1943, then again, as part of Two Troop A Squadron second attempt at parachuting into France in 1944*, the first attempt failing with the loss of one plane with a full cargo of SAS men. George was now working alongside the French Marquis, taking part in at least 36 sabotage operations. His status and whereabouts were top secret at the time, as were all SAS field operations both then and now. Back home his wife, Ellen (aka Nell) suffered the agony of not knowing whether he was dead or alive. Finally, he managed to team up with British troops as part of the Allied advance trough France after D-Day.

This was not the end of George鈥檚 extraordinary Army career. As the Allies advanced closer to Germany itself, George was involved with other SAS teams, crossing the Rhine to complete forward reconnaissance for British, American and Canadian troops. Working with armour-plated jeeps, he and his comrades took part in more reconnaissance work, and finally reached the Kiel Canal as the Germany Army capitulated and the war drew to a close.

The relief of Norway

Despite the end of hostilities there was still work to be done and George found himself in Norway for several months on 鈥渕opping-up鈥� operations, proudly remembered on the famous Norway Scroll, signed personally by King Olav to remember the brave SAS fighters who liberated his country in 1945. The SAS unit to which George was attached was finally disbanded in 1946 and, having rejoined the 54th Training Regiment, it was from this unit he took his demob. George was one of the lucky ones getting through relatively unscathed. He died in Wednesfield in August 1984 aged 72. Three of his sons were later to serve together in the Airborne Forces.

(* These exploits can be read in SAS with the Maquis 鈥� in action with the French resistance Jun-Sep 1944 written by Ian Wellstead)

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