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Ivor Broom
| Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom KCB CBE DSO DFC AFC (deceased) Entering the RAF in 1940 he joined No 114 Squadron as a sergeant pilot flying Blenheims. After 12 operations he and his crew were allocated to No 105 Squadron and then No 107 Squadron, the last remaining Blenheim Squadron in Malta. The Squadron remained there without relief for five months carrying out low level attacks on the shipping. Very few of the original crews survived the detachment, in fact he was commissioned during this period, when 107 Squadron had lost all their officers and for a short time was the only officer, other than the CO, in the Squadron. At the end of this tour he was awarded the DFC. In early 1943 he became one of the first Mosquito instructors in the Pathfinder Force and later moved to No 571 Squadron with the Light Night Strike Force. He then formed No 163 Squadron as acting Wing Commander. He was awarded a bar to his DFC for a low level moonlight mining attack on the Dormund - Ems Canal from 50ft and then a second bar for getting a 4000lb bomb into the mouth of a railway tunnel during the final German Ardennes offensive. During his time on Mosquitoes his navigator was Tommy Broom, together they formed an inseparable combination. Remaining with the RAF after WWII and in accordance with peacetime rules for a much smaller Air Force he was reduced in rank first to Squadron Leader and then to Flight Lieutenant in 1948. Promoted to Air Marshal in 1974 he became the Head of the UK National Air Traffic Services and was the first serving officer to be appointed to the Board of the Civil Aviation Authority. Retiring from the RAF in 1979 he has been actively engaged in civil aviation since then. He died 24th January 2003. |
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Country Life 43 by Gerald Coulson. Its a cold, misty winters day early in 1943 and a pair of Mosquitoes B. Mk IV return from a low level precision bombing raid over Occupied Europe. As the sun rises over the East Anglian countryside the unmistakable sound of Merlin Engines shatter the silence as these magnificent aircraft emerge from the mist skimming across the landscape, heading back to their Norfolk base. Gerald Coulson has captured the scene perfectly, once again proving that he is a true Master in his field, combining the technical accuracy of this powerful aircraft with his ability to capture the mood and feeling of a cold winter landscape. |
Tribute to 488 Sqn RNZAF by Ivan Berryman. Immediately following the Allied invasion of northern France in June 1944, 488 Sqn RNZAF found themselves in the thick of the fighting, keeping enemy intruders at bay, flying mainly at night, a role to which their young pilots aspired and excelled. Among those was Flt Lt G E 'Jamie' Jameson who, together with his navigator Norman Crookes, shot down no fewer than eight enemy aircraft in Mosquito NF.XIII MM466, this particular machine becoming the most successful Mosquito of WWII in terms of aerial victories. Jameson was to be credited with a final total of eleven victories before being repatriated home. |
Dangerous Duty by Stan Stokes. Some of those most dangerous missions of WW II were the low level shipping attacks by Bristol Blenheims carried out against Axis shipping. These missions were important in the early stages of the War in the Mediterranean in terms of disrupting supply lines to Rommels troops fighting in North Africa. It was not uncommon for the RAF to lose 10-30% of the aircraft it sent on such missions. One of the most successful of the RAFs Blenheim pilots was Sir Ivor Broom, who rose from the rank of Sergeant Pilot, completing three combat tours, including thirty-one low level attacks while based on the island of Malta. With all the officer pilots in his squadron either killed or missing in action, Broom received his commission. Allied interdiction efforts had become so successful that in October and November of 1941 only 25% of the supplies destined to supply Rommels armies in North Africa were getting through. The Germans decided to reroute their supply ships, opting for taking a longer route, but one which made Allied attacks much less likely. The Blenheimss of Brooms 107 Squadron had sufficient range to reach shipping targets off the Greek coast, but this necessitated a long over water flight and precise navigation. Brooms 43rd combat mission involved the attack on German ships at anchor in the harbor at Argostoli which was on the island of Cephalonia off the west coast of Greece. The ships there were forming a convoy which would make the dash to Benghazi. Six Blenheims from 107 and 18 Squadrons took part in the raid. With Broom in the lead the six attackers avoided the heavily armed coastal defenses by approaching the harbor from an inland direction. This required some highly skilled low level flying as they followed a road through a saddle in the hills. With the advantage of surprise on their side the six attackers swept down on the ships at anchor in the harbor at mast height. After releasing their bomb load the group executed a sharp turn to starboard and a fast climb up and over the hills to the west of the harbor. A-A fire greeted the Blenheims as they made their escape, and two of the six aircraft fell victim. This attack on December 13, 1941 is depicted in Stan Stokes painting appropriately entitled Dangerous Duty. The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WW II began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. |
The Jericho Boys by Ivan Berryman. On 18th February 1944, nineteen De Havilland Mosquito Mk.VIs and one photo-reconnaissance aircraft took off on a mission to attempt to free 120 French patriots being held captive by the Nazis in the prison at Amiens. Codenamed Operation Jericho, the attack on the jail was to be carried out in up to three waves - the first to break the prison walls in two places, the second to bomb the main building and a third standing by, should either of the first two fail. The mission was a complete success despite some losses on the ground and two aircraft destroyed. Here, the iconic moment is captured as a pair of Mosquitoes of 487 Sqn are seen breaching the wall at 12.03 hours. |
George Cross Island Association 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Print by John Young. Official limited edition print of the 60th Anniversary of the George Cross Island Association. Spitfires from one of Maltas most famous squadrons, 249, climbing up over Valetta harbour in the summer of 1942. The panorama beneath the aircraft is the city with its thousands of Maltese citizens daily exposed to the enemy blitz, ships of the Royal Navy and Merchant Service, and the Armys anti-aircraft batteries. |
Night Raiders by Ivan Berryman. A pair of de Havilland Mosquito NF. MkII night fighters of 23 Squadron, based at Bradwell Bay, Essex in 1942. |
Home Run by Gerald Coulson. It is June 1944 and, as dawn begins to break over East Anglia, Mosquito B Mk XVI bombers of the Light Night Striking Force return from a raid over Berlin. The sun is just beginning to rise and the peaceful tranquility is shattered as these majestic aircraft power in from the North Sea, flying at low level over the Norfolk marshes. |
Mosquitos by Keith Woodcock. On a cold winter' day with some snow covering the taxi ways on a RAF airfield, Royal Air Force ground crew engineers work on the engine of a Mosquito. A fitting tribute to the Mosquito fighter bomber and all the crews that flew in and also worked on this magnificent aircraft. |
No Turning Back by Robert Taylor. A Lancaster of No. 61 Squadron, RAF, piloted by Flt. Lt. Bill Reid, under attack from a German Fw190 en route to Dusseldorf on the night of November 3rd, 1943. Already injured in a previous attack, Bill Reid was again wounded but pressed on for another 50 minutes to bomb the target, then fly his badly damaged aircraft on the long journey home. The courage and devotion to duty that earned Bill Reid the Victoria Cross, was a hallmark of RAF bomber crews throughout their long six year campaign. |
Clipped Signature - Sir Ivor Broom. Flew Blenheims with No.114 Sqn in 1940, then with No.105 Sqn and No.107 Sqn in Malta. In 1943 he moved to fly daring missions on the pathfinder Mosquito with No.571 Sqn then No.163 Sqn. He was awarded the DFC three times during the war, remained in the RAF post-war, retiring in 1979. He died in 2003. Please note that this particular signature has been written in pen - not in pencil like most of our signatures. |
Mk.I Blenheims of No.141 Sqn by Ivan Berryman. Royal Air Force Blenheim Mk.I aircraft of No.141 Squadron. |
A Moment's Peace by Ivan Berryman. A de Havilland Mosquito patrols high above the clouds. This versatile all-wooden aircraft first flew on the 25th of November 1940. This aircraft was used in a wide variety of roles, including as a fighter-bomber and as a Pathfinder for bombers. |
A De Havilland Beauty by Ivan Berryman. A Mosquito Mk.BIX above the clouds in late 1943. Mosquito B.IX LR503 holds the record for the most combat missions flown by a single Allied bomber in the Second World War, serving 213 sorties. |
Home Again by Ivan Berryman. A pair of No.105 Sqn Mosquitos return over the English Channel in the early dawn light. |
The Berlin Express by Stuart Brown. During the climactic phases of WWII, the powerful De Havilland Mosquito, allowed aircrews to fly up to three sorties in twenty-four hours. The German capital was attacked with such regularity the inhabitants christened the high-speed bmber The Berlin Express. |
Mosquito Attack by Graeme Lothian. On 31st August 1944, 6 Mosquitoes of 305 Polish Squadron, Lasham, 2nd TAF were led by Wing Commander Orlinski to attack oil refineries at Nomexy, south of Nancy, France. Diving down and releasing their bombs before escaping at tree top height they destroyed 4 large containers and several smaller ones. All aircraft safely returned after their four and a half hour sortie. Fl Lt Eric Atkins DFC(bar) KW(bar) and his navigator Fl Lt Majer can be seen exiting the area to reform on the other 3 Mosquitoes who have already finished their bombing run. This was Atkins 61st operation, finishing the war with 78 ops over 3 tours. |
Rangers on the Rampage by Robert Taylor. Flying the high speed low level Day Ranger missions in the Mosquito was one of the most exhilarating forms of aerial combat experienced by aircrews in WWII. Given a free hand at squadron level to select targets of opportunity deep inside enemy held territory, operating the fastest piston engined aircraft of the war, the Ranger Mosquito crews wreaked havoc in the air and on the ground literally all over occupied Europe. Approaching their targets at tree top height, often completely undetected, the element of surprise was usually total; one pair of Mosquitoes arriving over an airfield near Kronigsburg found a ceremonial parade in progress, broke up the party, and departed within seconds leaving five aircraft burning and a bunch of German generals diving for cover beneath thei staff cars! Typical of the Day Ranger squadrons was No.418 City of Edmonton Squadron RCAF. Flying the Mosquito Fighter-Bomber MkVI, they completed over 3000 effective missions, destroyed 172 enemy aircraft - 73 on the ground - damaged a further 103, and in addition brought down 83 buzz-bombs and destroyed countless vehicles. In company with other Mosquito Ranger squadrons, they rampaged across Europe with outstanding courage in the best traditions of the RAF and Commonwealth Air Forces. Robert Taylors painting dramatically brings to life a Mosquito attack on a German fighter station deep inside Germany. Arriving over the target at little above hangar height, the two-ship mission announce their arrival by raking the field with cannon and machine gun fire. Within seconds both aircraft have scored direct hits with their 50lb bombs, and before the defensive flak guns can get the range, the pair have departed for home. |
Low Level Raiders by Keith Woodcock. Two De Havilland Mosquito FBMk VIs of 464 squadron set out on a low level mission in difficult weather conditions. |
Mosquito by Frank Wootton. No text for this item |
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