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

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 ...

fighter pilot and

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 ...

World War II 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 ...

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

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), 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 defende ...

Early life

Born in

Prestwich Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury. Historically part of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish o ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, 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 officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

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.

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 London Biggin Hill Airport is an operational general aviation airport at Biggin Hill in the London Borough of Bromley, located south-southeast of Central London. The airport was formerly a Royal Air Force station RAF Biggin Hill, and a smal ...

flying

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

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 German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

. By the end of August 1940, he was officially recognised as an

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

, 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 Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

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 was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force active during the First World War, the Second World War and also the Cold War. It was finally disbanded in December 1963. History In World War I No. 257 Squadron was formed at D ...

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 Dunkirk ...

. 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 used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

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 Wing leader, or wing commander (flying), denotes the tactical commander of a Commonwealth military wing on flying operations. The terms refer to a position, not a rank, although the role was usually taken by an officer ranked wing commander. The p ...

of the

Tangmere Wing Tangmere is a village, civil parish, and electoral ward in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Located three miles (5 km) north east of Chichester, it is twinned with Hermanville-sur-Mer in Lower Normandy, France. The parish ...

in October 1942. He was awarded a

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 ...

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 Prefect T1 from RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire. History First World War No. 57 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed fr ...

, equipped with the

Avro Lincoln The Avro Type 694 Lincoln is a British four-engined heavy bomber, which 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 Lincoln I and ...

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 war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...

campaign (Operation Firedog). He was promoted Wing Commander on 2 July 1952, and after

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 aspects of air force matters. History Foundation Following the fo ...

he was appointed Wing Commander (Flying) at

RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating ...

. There he joined the

V bomber The "V bombers" were the Royal Air Force (RAF) 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. The three models of strategic ...

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 response ...

jet bombers. Brothers was promoted to

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

on 1 January 1959, and to Air Commodore on 1 July 1966. After tours including Staff Officer at

SHAPE A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external Surface (mathematics), surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, Surface texture, texture, or material type. A pl ...

, 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 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 the 1964

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

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 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 centre; the village of Hawkinge wa ...

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. Pilots of No

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 Lancashire 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