The
Signatories
Primary
Edition
Philip West
Artist
Proofs
Also Signed by
the legendary and distinguished Hurricane pilot,
Air Commodore Peter Brothers DSO, DFC & Bar
(The pilot in the lead Hurricane depicted in the picture
above)
Air
Commodore Peter Brothers DSO, DFC & Bar learnt
to fly at the age of 16 and joined the RAF two years
later in 1936. He first saw action in 1940 when as
a Flight Commander in 32 Squadron, based at Biggin
Hill, he flew his Hurricane against the fighters and
bombers of the Luftwaffe. He recalls this an intensely
busy period, during which he shot down a Me109 - his
first enemy aircraft.
At
the end of August that same year his tally of enemy
aircraft shot down, increased to eight. Awarded the
DFC, he was transferred to 257 Squadron where he joined
Bob Stanford-Tuck as Flight Commanders. Promoted in
1941 to Squadron Leader, Pete Brothers then took command
of 457 Squadron (Royal Australian Air Force), equipped
with Spitfires. A year later when 457 Squadron returned
to Australia, Pete took command of 602 Squadron. In
the early autumn of 1942 he went on to become Wing
Leader of the Tangmere Wing, succeeding his old friend
Douglas Bader. By the end of the war Pete Brothers
had amassed 875 operational hours over a 44-month
period. He was credited with having personally shot
down 16 enemy aircraft and damaged many more. He later
went on to command 57 Squadron during the Malaya Campaign.
Upon return to the UK Pete Brothers joined the V-Force,
flying Valiant-4 jet bombers. He retired in 1973.
