“My grandfather
was a magician!”
By Marion Edwards
Anyone who remembers Sid Edwards
– my grandfather – propping up the
bar of The Beehive will probably
remember a genial old man who once
worked as the sign-writer at 6MU
(Maintenance Unit) on the base. Some
may even remember that he was also
a talented watercolour artist who had
a healthy side-line selling local views
to the Americans keen to take home a
reminder of their Cotswolds posting.
I’d wager, however, that few people
would know that during the 1920s
and 30s, Sidney was a hugely
successful magician and
illusionist who toured
the country first under
his own name, and
later under the stage
names of Max Waldorf
and Carl Bergner. Add
to this the fact that he
was one of the first pilot
officers to qualify in the
newly formed RAF and
flew Avros and B.E.2cs, and
it’s clear that Sidney was
an extremely interesting and
talented character.
Sidney Edwards circa 1918 (3)
Born into a musical family in
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
in 1899, there are no clues as to
why Sidney chose a career in the
theatre, but he was already on the
stage when he enlisted, at 18, in
1917. He qualified just before the
war ended, luckily missing active
service – a blessing given that the
average life expectancy of a pilot
at the time was 11 days.
Cotswolds View by
Sidney Edwards (3)
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