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Peter Malam Brothers
Peter M Brothers was born 30th September 1917 in Prestwich to John Malam Brothers, director of Brothers Chemical Company Ltd manufacturers based in Trafford Park.
The family lived at Westfield in Prestwich Park, and sadly Peter's seven year old sister, Iris, died from meningitis just before Peter turned 5.
ref: Mrs Elizabeth Whittam of Westfield who contributed greatly to the establishment of Our Lady of Grace
Peter attended North Manchester School, and a job at the family business awaited. His father John along with his Uncle Thomas had operated the business now, which they had taken over from their Father William.
William Brothers lived at Beechwood on Charlton Ave., in Prestwich.
The family business produced precipitate of chalk, used in toothpastes and slow burning cigarettes, with Players (Navy Cut , JP Special & Gold Leaf) being one of their main customers. It was a dangerous process, involving hydrochloric acid, and Peter's father had lost the use of one eye and badly damaged the other when he had been caught in an explosion around 1916/17. His father used special attachments on his glasses in order to see during general use, but for driving his car he had a large magnifying glass that came down from the roof of his car. Eventually Peter's mother took over the driving duties for his father.
Peter had a passion for airplanes and played with models and collected cigarette cards from an early age, as well as reading Biggles. His father gave him flying lessons for his 16th birthday (1933) and Peter gained his flight certificate at Lancashire Aero Club in an Avro Avian in 1934 (aged 17 - the youngest you were allowed to put it for the test). Whilst studying for his written exam he learnt aerobatics, a skill that would save his life.
The same type of aircraft had been flown by Amelia Earhart when she became the first woman to fly solo across the North American continent and back in 1928.
LAC had been based at Alexandra Park Aerodrome just outside Manchester, from early 1924 until 1925 when the group moved to Woodford Aerodrome on invitation from the Avro Aircraft Company.The Aero Club had to move out of Woodford at the start of WWII and arrived at Barton, but all aircraft were impounded until after the war.
Helping his father with the business in Germany, which was restricted following the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Peter travelled to Nuremberg and stayed with a family there. The family's children were actively involved in the National Youth Movements in Germany. One child however had a passion for flying just like Peter did. Due to the Treaty, Germans were only allowed to fly gliders, but Peter could tell that his friend young Kurt was flying more than gliders. Peter had a run in with some SS officers while watching a youth march go past during his stay and they pressured him into making a Nazi salute.
Despite this atmosphere, Peter made good friends with his hosts. A younger brother of Kurt, Walther came to stay at Westfield in Prestwich to complete the exchange arrangement. Sadly Kurt went on to fly bombers for the Luftwaffe and died over the Russian Front during WWII.
Back in England, Peter started training with the RAF and passed out in 1936, posted to 32 Squadron, Biggin Hill, where they were experimenting with aircraft interception using Radar. Peter would get the direction to head out towards a unknowing civilian aircraft, and report back how close he was to the target. They also kept a close eye on Germany civilian aircraft who were starting to perform spying operations.
The squadron took delivery of Hurricane aircraft in 1938, occasionally Winston Churchill would visit them and ask how the Spitfires were performing !
By 1939 Peter was living in Sevenoaks, Kent, and married Anette Wilson that same year.
Peter's first air victory in 1939 came in September when he was directed towards a barrage balloon which had escaped it's tether. The rest of the year consisted of training, being ready for dispersal, scrambling (often to flocks of birds which had registered on the Radar screens), and patrolling the skies.
1940 continued, with convoy escorts added to the tasks performed, until the 11th May when Peter finally fired his guns in anger at a Ju52 transport aircraft on the ground at an airfield near Rotterdam, setting it alight, only to find out that the Dutch had recaptured the airfield two hours earlier.
Finally on 17th May Peter got sight of a He-111 bomber, and flew in so the bomber filled his sights, pressing his fire button... nothing happened. When he got back to base he drew his pistol on the armourer who had not cocked Peter's guns, advising him that "I'll shoot you if you do that again".
On the 19th, Peter tasted combat for the first time, at first he thought he had oil specs on his windscreen, but they got bigger it was a formation of 23 Me-109 & some Me-110s heading in exactly the opposite direction. Peter claimed his first Me109 when one flew across his sights while he was turning to chase the enemy. The enemy pilot bailed out and was taken as a Prisoner of War.
Later that year, his father's company was bombed during the 1940 Christmas blitz, and with Peter in the RAF, it ceased to trade.
You can read more about Peter's experiences in the RAF here
Peter was credited with 16 aerial victories, 10 of which he achieved flying Hurricanes based at Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in 1940 for his actions:
"During an offensive patrol in August 1940, this officer's flight encountered about one hundred enemy aircraft. He led the flight in attack against them, but before this could be pressed home, he was himself attacked by a number of Messerschmidt 110's. Turning to meet them, he found himself in a stalled position; he spun out of it and immediately sighted and engaged a Dornier 215 which he shot down. Later in the day he destroyed a Messerschmidt 109. Altogether Flight Lieutenant Brothers has destroyed seven enemy aircraft. He has at all times displayed great courage and initiative."
Peter converted to fly the Spitfire in 1941, and became Wing Leader of Three Spitfire Squadrons at Tangmere in 1942. He formed & commanded 457 (RAAF) Squadron, and commanded 602 Squadron in support of the failed raid on Dieppe in August 1942. One of his pilots was forced to bail out over the sea, and Brothers orbited his dinghy until rescue arrived. The squadron claimed 5 victories during the raid, one of which was Peter's.
By now Brothers had been identified as one of the RAF's outstanding fighter pilots,
His Squadron supported the Normandy Invasion in 1944 attacking targets around Brest, and got his 16th Victory in August that year. He was then awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) . After a period as a Civil Servant in Kenya, he rejoined the RAF in 1949 and commanded 57 (Lincoln Bomber) Squadron in Malaya (1950-52), he was then appointed Wing Commander (flying) with Vickers Valiant jet bombers in Norfolk.
Peter ultimately became Air Commodore in 1966, and was awarded the CBE after he retired in 1973. Peter died in 2008.
Ref: Wiki
