Peter Malam Brothers
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
Peter Malam 'Pete' Brothers, CBE
, DSO
, DFC
& Bar
(1917–2008) was a famed World War II Royal Air Force
fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain
. Brothers was scored a total of 16 kills during the Second World War, 10 of which were during the Battle of Britain.
, Lancashire
, the son of John Malam Brothers, Brothers was educated at North Manchester School. His early interest in flying was shown by learning to fly aged 16. He joined the Royal Air Force in January 1936, and was granted a short service commission as an acting pilot officer
on probation on 23 March, Joining No 32 Squadron in October 1936, his commission was confirmed on 27 January 1937, and he was promoted to flying officer
on 27 October 1938.
which was then based at RAF Biggin Hill flying Hurricane
aircraft. The Battle of Britain was a very busy time for Brothers, and during this time he shot down his first enemy aircraft - an Bf 109
- by the end of August 1940 he was officially recognised as a Flying ace
, having shot down eight enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
for this actions; the citation read:
Brothers was promoted substantive flight lieutenant
on 3 September 1940, and due to the level of losses within 32 Sqn, it was stood down, and on 9 September he was posted to No. 257 Squadron RAF
(also based at RAF Biggin Hill) on 9 September as a Flight Commander under S/L Robert Stanford Tuck
. He was promoted in 1941 to Squadron Leader and took command of No. 457 Squadron RAAF
in June 1941, and converted to the Spitfire
aircraft. A year later when 457 Squadron returned to Australia, Brothers took command of No. 602 Squadron RAF
. He became Tangmere Wing
Wing Leader in October 1942. He was awarded a Bar
to his DFC on 15 June 1943:
and the DSO
in 1944:
By 1945, Brothers had flown 875 operational hours and was credited with having shot down 16 enemy aircraft and damaged many more. Despite his record, he was not offered a permanent commission so left the RAF in 1947 and joined the Colonial Service
.
, equipped with the Avro Lincoln
bomber. He held command from 1950 to 1952, which included the Malayan Emergency
campaign (Operation Firedog). He was promoted wing commander on 2 July 1952, and after RAF Staff College, Andover
he was appointed wing commander (flying) at RAF Marham
. There he joined the V bomber
s, flying the Vickers Valiant
jet bombers. He retired from the RAF in 1973, after tours including Staff Officer at SHAPE
, Director of RAF Operations (Overseas), Air Officer Commading Military Air Traffic Operations and Director of Public Relations (RAF). He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1964 Queen's Birthday Honours
.
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Peter Malam 'Pete' Brothers, CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(1917–2008) was a famed World War II Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. Brothers was scored a total of 16 kills during the Second World War, 10 of which were during the Battle of Britain.
Early life
Born in PrestwichPrestwich
Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, the son of John Malam Brothers, Brothers was educated at North Manchester School. His early interest in flying was shown by learning to fly aged 16. He joined the Royal Air Force in January 1936, and was granted a short service commission as an acting pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
on probation on 23 March, Joining No 32 Squadron in October 1936, his commission was confirmed on 27 January 1937, and he was promoted to flying officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
on 27 October 1938.
Second World War
Brothers first saw action during the Battle of Britain as a flight commander in No 32. Squadron RAFNo. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF
No. 32 Squadron of the Royal Air Force at present operates from RAF Northolt, west London, in the VIP and general air transport roles.-Formation:...
which was then based at RAF Biggin Hill flying Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
aircraft. The Battle of Britain was a very busy time for Brothers, and during this time he shot down his first enemy aircraft - an Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
- by the end of August 1940 he was officially recognised as a Flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
, having shot down eight enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
for this actions; the citation read:
Brothers was promoted substantive flight lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
on 3 September 1940, and due to the level of losses within 32 Sqn, it was stood down, and on 9 September he was posted to No. 257 Squadron RAF
No. 257 Squadron RAF
-In World War I:No. 257 Squadron was formed at Dundee on 18 August 1918 from Nos. 318 and 319 Flights. It flew both seaplanes and flying boats on anti-submarine patrols from Dundee until the end of the First World War and disbanded there on 30 June 1919....
(also based at RAF Biggin Hill) on 9 September as a Flight Commander under S/L Robert Stanford Tuck
Robert Stanford Tuck
Wing Commander Roland Robert Stanford Tuck DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC was a British fighter pilot and test pilot.Tuck joined the RAF in 1935. Tuck first engaged in combat during the Battle of France, over Dunkirk, claiming his first victories...
. He was promoted in 1941 to Squadron Leader and took command of No. 457 Squadron RAAF
No. 457 Squadron RAAF
No. 457 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in England during June 1941 as an Article XV squadron equipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters...
in June 1941, and converted to the Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
aircraft. A year later when 457 Squadron returned to Australia, Brothers took command of No. 602 Squadron RAF
No. 602 Squadron RAF
No 602 Squadron is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron. Originally formed in 1925 as a light bomber squadron, its role changed in 1938 to army co-operation and in 1939 to that of a fighter squadron....
. He became Tangmere Wing
RAF Tangmere
RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, located at Tangmere village about 3 miles east of Chichester in West Sussex, England. American RAF pilot Billy Fiske died at Tangmere and was the first American aviator to die during World War II...
Wing Leader in October 1942. He was awarded a Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
to his DFC on 15 June 1943:
and the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in 1944:
By 1945, Brothers had flown 875 operational hours and was credited with having shot down 16 enemy aircraft and damaged many more. Despite his record, he was not offered a permanent commission so left the RAF in 1947 and joined the Colonial Service
Colonial Service
The Colonial Service was the British government service which administered Britain's colonies and protectorates, under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Colonial Office in London....
.
Post-war
After two years as a district officer in Kenya, Brothers applied to rejoin the RAF. He was commissioned as a squadron leader on 2 June 1949 (with seniority from 5 August 1946), and rather to his surprise was given command of a bomber squadron, No. 57 Squadron RAFNo. 57 Squadron RAF
-History:57 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed on 8 June 1916 at Copmanthorpe, Yorkshire. In December 1916 the squadron was posted to France equipped with the FE2d. The squadron re-equipped with Airco DH4s in May 1917 and commenced long range bombing and reconnaissance operations near...
, equipped with the Avro Lincoln
Avro Lincoln
The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...
bomber. He held command from 1950 to 1952, which included the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
campaign (Operation Firedog). He was promoted wing commander on 2 July 1952, and after RAF Staff College, Andover
RAF Staff College, Andover
The RAF Staff College at RAF Andover was the first Royal Air Force staff college to be established. Its role was the training of officers in the administrative, staff and policy apects of air force matters.-Foundation:...
he was appointed wing commander (flying) at RAF Marham
RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....
. There he joined the V bomber
V bomber
The term V bomber was used for the Royal Air Force aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V-force or Bomber Command Main Force...
s, flying the Vickers Valiant
Vickers Valiant
The Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant was a British four-jet bomber, once part of the Royal Air Force's V bomber nuclear force in the 1950s and 1960s...
jet bombers. He retired from the RAF in 1973, after tours including Staff Officer at SHAPE
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...
, Director of RAF Operations (Overseas), Air Officer Commading Military Air Traffic Operations and Director of Public Relations (RAF). He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1964 Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
.
Post-RAF life
Brothers was best known for his Battle of Britain exploits and was the Chairman of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association for a number of years. He normally wore bright red socks. He died, aged 91, on 18 December 2008.External links
- Brothers describing his attempts to boost the morale of the men he was leading - The Imperial War Museum
- Brothers at the final Sunset Ceremony at RAF Bentley Priory 20 July 2007
- Brothers meeting Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall at RAF Bentley Priory 19 June 2007
- Brothers laying the Battle of Britain Fighter Association wreath at the Battle of Britain London Monument 16 September 2006
- Brothers at the unveiling of the Battle of Britain London Monument (to the left of Prince Charles) 18 September 2005
