And the stories told of their eldest son, George Mercier Edwards, who had gone off to fight in the Second World War in 1940, did not resonate as much as it did with her other ‘siblings’ – because she really did not know him.
He was initially reported missing in December 1942 after a mission over Norway – later confirmed as Operation Freshman – but it was not until 1946 that his family received final confirmation of his death, via a letter from his sister, Linda, to their mother.
Records from Tocher’s research include text from Jostein Berglyd’s book, Operation Freshman, The Hunt for Hitler’s Heavy Water (2006):
“A deep depression in the ground made it very clear where the plane had initially crashed.
He also referenced an unpublished account of the plane crash by the late Per Johnsen, a Norwegian who spent many years researching Operation Freshman:
“When the young rescuers reached the top of Hæstadfjell, they saw a horrific sight.
“At the outermost edge of the sloping mountain lay the intact body of Halifax’s tail gunner, Sergeant-Gunner George M Edwards (24) from Kingston, Jamaica.”
