Edward known as Eddie was born in July 1921 in Brentford, Middlesex to Burma born actor Abraham and Angela Psyche nee Christian and he was the eldest of six children.

Eddie’s aunt Rachael Sofaer married Abraham Cohen who were the parents of Melville David Cohen, Eddie’s cousin. Melville was killed serving in 210 Sqn in 1943 and has a page on the website. The Cohen and Gubbay families were from a Sephardi Jewish community which intermarried, originally in Iraq and modern day Syria and later in the Indian Empire which included modern day Myanmar. The Sofaer’s settled in Yangon, Myanmar and Eddie’s grandfather Isaac built the Sofaer Building there which is still standing. The Cohens and the Gubbay’s settled in Kolkata and maintained very close links with the Sofaers. Most had resettled in England prior to the Second World War. 

In 1939, Eddie was living with his family at 256 Hale Lane in Hendon and his father Abraham was listed as an actor. Abraham’s story can be found here:

Eddie enlisted at the end of 1940 when he was nineteen. At the age of twenty Eddie married twenty five year old Evelyn Wreford on 27 September 1941 in Kirkcudbright, Scotland. The marriage certificate states that Eddie was a cadet in the Royal Air Force and Evelyn was a dance teacher and almost a year after they married Eddie was killed. A cross was added to Eddie’s headstone when a letter sent by the CWGC was unanswered. We are now compiling evidence to prove that Eddie was Jewish and to have his headstone changed.

He was the navigator on Wellington X3745 which departed from RAF Snaith at 20.40 on an operation to Frankfurt. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter Uffz Eduard Kleinert  5/NJG1 and crashed at Sart- St-Laurent, Namur killing all the crew.

Pilot, John Glaves, 655483
W/Op, A/G, William Moylan, 1310446
W/Op, A/G, Frank Raymond Thomas, 953589
A/G, Albert George Tillett, 1387083