Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Robert Lesley Edwards
In memory of:
Flying Officer Robert Lesley Edwards
August 26, 1940
Military Service
C/903
28
Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
1 (R.A.F.) Sqdn
Additional Information
June 10, 1912
Roseneath, Ontario
Son of Robert and Prudence Edwards of Cobourg, Ontario. Husband of Ruth Edwards of Toronto, Ontario.
Commemorated on Page 12 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.
Burial Information
BROOKWOOD MILITARY CEMETERY
Surrey, United Kingdom
3. C. 1A.
Brookwood is 30 miles from London (M3 to Bagshot and then A322). The main entrance to Brookwood Military Cemetery is on the A324 from the village of Pirbright. Brookwood Military Cemetery is owned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the United Kingdom, covering approximately 37 acres. In 1917, an area of land in Brookwood Cemetery (originally The London Necropolis) was set aside for the burial of men and women of the forces of the Commonwealth and Americans, who had died, many of battle wounds, in the London district. This site was further extended to accommodate the Commonwealth casualties of the Second World War, and American, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French and Polish plots containing the graves of Allied casualties. There are also German and Italian plots where prisoners of war lie buried.
Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Digital Collection
-
Details
Newspaper Clipping – Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me -
Details
Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star November 1939. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me -
Details
Biography – Excerpt from the program for the Service of Remembrance at the Soldiers' Tower held on November 11, 2019. A student spoke in memory of Flying Officer Robert Lesley Edwards. Information for the reading was drawn from University records and from a book entitled: All the Fine Young Eagles by David L. Bashow. -
Details
Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Telegram November 1939. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me -
Details
Photo of Robert Lesley Edwards -
Details
Newspaper Clipping – From the Charlottetown PEI newspaper The Guardian. Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me -
Details
Newspaper Clipping – From the Charlottetown PEI newspaper The Guardian. Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me -
Details
Newspaper Clipping – Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me -
Details
Newspaper Clipping -
Details
Biography – Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me -
Details
Soldiers' Tower Memorial – The Soldiers’ Tower was built by the University of Toronto Alumni Association in 1924 as a memorial to the Great War of 1914-1918. The names of those who died in that conflict are carved on the Memorial Screen at photo left. After the Second World War, more names were carved in the Memorial Arch at the Tower’s base. In total, almost 1200 names are inscribed. A Memorial Room inside the Tower contains mementoes and artifacts, and a 51-bell carillon serves as the audio element of the living memorial to the alumni, students, faculty and staff who died in the World Wars. The Soldiers’ Tower is the site of an annual Service of Remembrance. Photo: Kathy Parks, Alumni Relations. -
Details
Memorial Arch – The names of those who died in the Second World War were added to the archway beneath the Soldiers’ Tower in 1949. The name of “F/O R. L. EDWARDS R.C.A.F.” is among the names inscribed. Photo: Cody Gagnon, courtesy of Alumni Relations. -
Details
Memorial Room – Soldiers’ Tower, University of Toronto. Photo: David Pike, courtesy of Alumni Relations. -
Details
Memorial Book – University of Toronto Memorial Book, Second World War 1939-1945. Published by the Soldiers’ Tower Committee, 1993. Entry on page 19 reads: F/O Robert Leslie EDWARDS 1 Sqn RCAF. Victoria College, BA 1935. Killed in an air operation during the Battle of Britain, 26 August 1940. Buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking Surrey, England. -
Details
Victoria College WWII Plaque – This outdoor plaque is located at Victoria College, part of Victoria University in the University of Toronto. “They were valiant in life and triumphant in death. (Victoria University Crest - Abeunt studia in mores). Erected to the memory of the students of this college who gave their lives in the Great War 1939-1945. This tablet was erected by the Board of Regents and Dedicated October 13th, 1953”. Among the 79 names inscribed is that of: “Robert Lesley Edwards”. Photo: Cody Gagnon, courtesy of Alumni Relations. -
Details
Grave Marker
Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.
- Date modified: