Air Commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

Peter Malam "Pete" Brothers, (30 September 1917 – 18 December 2008) was a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

fighter pilot and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Brothers was credited with 16 aerial victories, 10 of which he achieved during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

Early life

Born in Prestwich,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, 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 (Plt Off or P/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Pilot officer is the lowest ran ...

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 (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

on 27 October 1938.

Second World War

Brothers first saw action during the Battle of Britain as a flight commander in No 32. Squadron RAF which was then based at RAF Biggin Hill flying

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

aircraft. The

was a very busy time for Brothers, and during this time he shot down his first enemy aircraft, a

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...

. By the end of August 1940, he was officially recognised as an ace, having shot down eight enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for these 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 based at RAF Coltishall on 9 September as a Flight Commander under Squadron Leader

Robert Stanford Tuck Wing Commander Robert Roland Stanford Tuck, (1 July 1916 – 5 May 1987) was a British fighter pilot, flying ace and test pilot. Tuck joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1935 and first engaged in combat during the Battle of France, over Dunkir ...

. He was promoted Acting Squadron Leader in 1941 and took command of No. 457 Squadron RAAF in June 1941, and converted to the

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

aircraft. He was promoted temporary Squadron Leader on 1 December 1941. A year later when 457 Squadron returned to Australia, Brothers took command of No. 602 Squadron RAF. He became wing leader of the Tangmere Wing 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 The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

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 RAF Number 57 Squadron, also known as No. LVII Squadron, is a Royal Air Force flying training squadron, operating the Grob G 120TP, Grob Prefect T1 from RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire. It was formed in 1916 during World War I as part of the Royal Flyi ...

, equipped with the

Avro Lincoln The Avro Type 694 Lincoln is a British four-engined heavy bomber, which maiden flight, first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were initially known as the Lancaster IV and V; these were renamed L ...

bomber. He held command from 1950 to 1952, which included the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...

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 The "V bombers" were the Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom, United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V force or Bomber Command Mai ...

s, flying the

Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's " V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in respon ...

jet bombers. Brothers was promoted to

group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

on 1 January 1959, and to

on 1 July 1966. After tours including Staff Officer at

SHAPE A shape is a graphics, graphical representation of an object's form or its external boundary, outline, or external Surface (mathematics), surface. It is distinct from other object properties, such as color, Surface texture, texture, or material ...

, Director of RAF Operations (Overseas), Air Officer Commanding Military Air Traffic Operations and Director of Public Relations (RAF), he retired in 1973. He was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the 1964

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the King's Official Birthday, reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into Order (honour), national or Dynastic order of knighthood, dy ...

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. Brothers is remembered in a memorial, the ‘Spirit of The Few’ Monument, unveiled on 29 July 2022 at

Hawkinge Hawkinge ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe (District), Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent, England. The original village of Hawkinge is actually just less than a mile (c. 1.3 km) due east of the present village ...

airfield. He is represented as one of seven bronze sculptures of No. 32 Squadron pilots, replicating a photograph taken of the men during the Battle of Britain. The Battle of Britain HU54418

References

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
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110927230041/http://www.bbm.org.uk/newspix2006/large/BOBFA%203.jpg 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 2005Imperial War Museum Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brothers, Peter Malam 1917 births 2008 deaths Military personnel from the Metropolitan Borough of Bury Royal Air Force air commodores Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British World War II flying aces Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Royal Air Force personnel of the Malayan Emergency People from Prestwich The Few Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Wing leaders