He supported AVM Keith Park in using smaller groups of fighters which were more quickly and easily deployed against incoming German formations. In the 1930s he was seconded to the Egyptian government as Director General of Aviation, returning to a staff appointment at the Air Ministry in 1937. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1916 During the First World War he was a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps flying in France and England.Īfter the war he remained in the RAF and in 1920 was Lieutenant Colonel Pierre van Rynveld’s co-pilot on the first flight from England to Cape Town, for which he was knighted. Quintin Brand was Air Officer Commanding 10 Group, and was responsible for the defence of southwest England and Wales during the Battle of Britain.īrand was born in South Africa in 1893 and began his military career in 1913. Air Vice-Marshal Sir Christopher Joseph Quintin Brand KBE DSO MC DFC In 1944 he was chosen to command the Allied Air Forces in South East Asia Command but was killed when his Avro York crashed on the way to India. He replaced Park at 11 Group and then took over Fighter Command in 1942. Park, the commander of 11 Group, disagreed with this and preferred to deploy his squadrons separately in order to disperse incoming raids before they reached their target.Īfter the Battle of Britain Leigh-Mallory gained rapid promotion. Unfortunately it took time to organise and often arrived late. When it worked this tactic allowed a major force to attack and destroy large numbers of enemy aircraft. He promoted what he called the ‘Big Wing’ concept of massing up to five squadrons in a single fighting formation. Between the wars he held various staff postings.ĭuring the Battle of Britain he was the centre of a major controversy, concerning how RAF fighters should be deployed. He was noted as an ambitious officer but not one universally liked by his subordinates. Leigh-Mallory joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1916. Later in the war Park successfully commanded operations in Malta and the Far East.Īir Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory KCB DSO & Bar He also instructed his fighter pilots to divide their attacks between the German fighters and the bombers which were the more serious threat.Īfter the Battle he was removed from Fighter Command and sent to Training Command. With the assistance of radar and the reporting system he was able to place his squadrons in the best position to intercept enemy raids. He held various staff appointment between the wars, being appointed AOC 11 Group in April 1940.Ī good tactician with a clear grasp of strategic issues Park knew 11 Group had the largest area to protect and would have the most enemy attacks. He was born in New Zealand and served in the artillery in Gallipoli and France, joining the Royal Flying Corps at the end of 1916. Park was Air Officer Commanding 11 Group Fighter Command, next to Dowding he had the most important job in the Command and his Group bore the brunt of the fighting in the Battle of Britain. Subordinate RAF Commanders Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB KBE MC & Bar DFC An Enduring Relationship : A History of Friendship between the Royal Air Force and the Royal Air Force of Oman.Sir Alan Cobham A Life of a Pioneering Aviator.Never Forgotten: The RAF in the Far East.Battle of Britain Aircrew 31 Aug to 6 Sep.Battle of Britain Groundcrew 7 to 13 September.Enter the RAF Museum Green Aviation Challenge.VJ75: Geography and Rediscovered Stories.RAF Rugby 7’s are taking on the Challenge!.Coming January 2022 – The Vulcan Challenge.