Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by 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 u ...

Colin Peter Brown &

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

(20 December 1898 – 19 October 1965) was a Scottish officer who began his career in the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, before transferring to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF). A

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

credited with 14 aerial victories, he remained in the RAF and served throughout the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, retiring in 1954.

Early life and career

Brown was born in Langside,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, and was educated at Dulwich College, London.Shores ''et.al.'' (1997), p. 89. He entered the

as a probationary flight officer on 28 January 1917, and was commissioned as a flight sub-lieutenant on 13 June. He was posted to the

Seaplane Defence Flight No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 (Naval) Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service.Halley 1988, p. 278. This RNAS squadron was itself formed on 15 January 1918 from the Seap ...

, a unit created to defend the seaplanes which operated out of

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

. His first aerial victory came on 13 November 1917 when he destroyed an

Albatros D.V The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...

east of Nieuport, but it was another five months before he gained a second victory, forcing down another Albatros D.V over

Uitkerke Uitkerke is in West Flanders and is part of the coastal city of Blankenberge, Belgium. The two neighboring communities were officially united in the early 1970s. History Uitkerke, as an independent village, is more than a thousand years old. His ...

on 27 April 1918. In between these two victories, on 15 January 1918 the Seaplane Defence Flight had been renamed No. 13 (Naval) Squadron, and on 1 April 1918 it became

No. 213 Squadron RAF No. 213 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. The squadron was formed on 1 April 1918 from No. 13 (Naval) Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service.Halley 1988, p. 278. This RNAS squadron was itself formed on 15 January 1918 from the Sea ...

. Brown was granted a commission as a second lieutenant in the RAF on 3 July 1918. He was soon promoted to lieutenant, and on 9 August was appointed acting-captain while serving as a flight commander. Brown was noted for his willingness to fight, attacking land and sea targets as well as enemy aircraft. He even went so far as to strafe

Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeeb ...

harbor in a night attack. He accrued victories steadily until his climactic solo destruction of three

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qu ...

s on 4 October 1918. In total, Brown was credited with eight enemy aircraft destroyed and six driven down out of control in 374 flying hours. Eleven of his wins were over first-rate German fighters; Albatros D.Vs and Fokker D.VIIs. Two of his three victories over observation planes, he shared with other pilots, including the American ace, and future

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

rear admiral, David Ingalls. On account of his combat record Brown was twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross; firstly on 21 September 1918 and then again on 29 November. He also received the ''

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

'' from France, for his "services in Flanders" on 1 November. His citations read: Distinguished Flying Cross Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross

Inter-war career

On 1 August 1919 the RAF introduced its own rank structure and Brown changed from lieutenant to flying officer. From 25 November he served aboard the aircraft carrier , and on 31 May 1920 was appointed an instructor at the School of Naval Co-operation and Aerial Navigation. On 5 January 1921 he was posted to No. 205 Squadron, and on 1 October to No. 3 Squadron, flying the Airco DH.9A from

RAF Leuchars Royal Air Force Leuchars or RAF Leuchars was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the station was home to fighter aircraft which policed northern UK airspac ...

. On 6 September 1922, he was injured after making a forced landing in the

Moray Firth The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: ''An Cuan Moireach'', ''Linne Mhoireibh'' or ''Caolas Mhoireibh'') is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotl ...

, following an engine failure. On 1 April 1923 he was assigned to No. 420 Flight. Beginning in September 1923 he took the Signals Course at the Electrical and Wireless School at

RAF Flowerdown Royal Air Force Flowerdown or more simply RAF Flowerdown is a former Royal Air Force station located in Hampshire, England. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) School for Wireless Operators moved from Farnborough to Flowerdown, later RAF Flowerdown ...

, and in September 1924 was appointed a staff officer in the Signals Branch, at the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 1 January 1925. From 19 September 1927 he attended the

RAF Staff College The RAF Staff College may refer to: *RAF Staff College, Andover (active: 1922 to 1940 and 1948 to 1970) *RAF Staff College, Bulstrode Park (active: 1941 to 1948) *RAF Staff College, Bracknell The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air ...

Andover, Hampshire Andover ( ) is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton, a major tributary of the Test, and is situated alongside the major A303 trunk road at the eastern end of Salisbury Plain, west of the town of Basingsto ...

. On 29 January 1929 Brown was posted to No. 30 Squadron in Iraq, transferring to No. 84 Squadron at

RAF Shaibah The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, Iraq, on 16 March to serve as a flight commander. On 28 August he was posted to the Headquarters of Iraq Command. On 1 February 1931 Brown was posted to No. 13 Squadron at RAF Netheravon to serve as a signals officer. On 12 December 1932 he became a staff officer in the Signals Branch. He was promoted to squadron leader on 1 October 1934, and from 1 December served as a signals officer, serving at No. 21 Group Headquarters, South Farnborough, on signals duties until 10 November 1935. On 5 October 1935 he was appointed commander of No. 26 (Army Co-operation) Squadron at

RAF Catterick Royal Air Force Catterick or RAF Catterick is a former Royal Air Force airfield located near Catterick, North Yorkshire in England. It is located alongside the A6055 road on the outskirts of Catterick Village. Although initially a flying stati ...

. On 30 August 1937 he was appointed station commander at RAF Catterick. On 1 January 1938 he was promoted to wing commander, and on 4 July was assigned to the Directorate of Staff Duties at the Air Ministry.

Second World War

Brown was promoted to acting group captain on 1 March 1940, and appointed Senior Air Staff Officer in No. 60 (Signals) Group, Fighter Command, which was responsible for the RAF's radar network. On 24 April he was transferred to the RAF's Technical Branch. On 1 September he was promoted to temporary group captain. In September 1941 he was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) "in recognition of distinguished services rendered in operational commands of the Royal Air Force during the period 1st October 1940 to 31st March 1941". He was appointed acting-air commodore on 19 August 1942, to serve as Director of Radar at the Air Ministry, appointed group captain (war substantive) on 19 February 1943, and promoted to group captain on 1 December. He served in the Directorate of Operational Requirements at the Air Ministry from 1945 until December 1947. On 14 June 1945, in the King's birthday honours, he was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB).

Post-war career

Brown was promoted to air commodore on 1 July 1947, and from 1949 served as Chief Signals Officer,

Middle East Air Force Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek (d ...

. He was appointed acting air vice-marshal on 7 April 1950 to serve as Assistant Controller of Supplies (Air) at the

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircr ...

, and was promoted to air vice-marshal on 1 January 1952. Brown was forced by ill-health to resign from his post in early 1953. He eventually left the RAF on 15 March 1954. Air Vice Marshal Brown died on 19 October 1965.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Colin Peter 1898 births 1965 deaths People from Langside People educated at Dulwich College Royal Naval Air Service aviators Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Scottish flying aces Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force air marshals Military personnel from Glasgow Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire