Ivor Broom

Air Marshal Sir Ivor Gordon Broom, KCB, CBE, DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC (2 June 1920 – 24 January 2003) was a senior Royal Air Force commander, and a decorated bomber pilot of the Second World War.^[1][2]

Broom married Jess Cooper in 1942, with whom he had two sons and a daughter.

Early years

Ivor Gordon Broom was born in Cardiff, Wales and educated at the Boy's County School, Pontypridd.^[1] At 17, Broom passed the Civil Service Exam and began work with the Inland Revenue.

RAF career

Broom learned to fly in 1940 while the Battle of Britain was being fought, and was posted to No. 114 Squadron in 1941. The squadron were flying Bristol Blenheim light bombers which were flown in low-level daylight operations against Channel and North Sea shipping as well as targets along the French, Dutch and German coasts.

Broom took part in the successful raid against the Goldenburg-Werk lignite power stations, Knapsack, Germany in August 1941.^[3]

In late 1941, while still a sergeant, Broom was detailed to lead a flight of six Blenheims to reinforce Singapore, en route the bombers landed on Malta which was under siege at the time by the Axis. When they landed on the island, Air Vice Marshal Hugh Pughe Lloyd commandeered Broom and his aircraft to replace the islands losses, the other five Blenheims flying on to Singapore.

Broom joined No. 107 Squadron whose Blenheims were incurring heavy losses while attacking Axis shipping between Italy and North Africa as well as land targets in Italy and North Africa. When No. 107 Squadron had lost all its officers, Lloyd told Broom "Move into the officers' mess. We will sort the paperwork out later".^[1] Broom was promoted to Pilot officer.

On 17 November 1941 he bombed and set on fire a 4,000 ton ship in the Gulf of Sirte (most likely the Priaruggia).^[4] After flying 43 sorties he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and returned to Britain in January 1942.

Broom undertook an instructors course at the Central Flying School and then spent a year training new Blenheim pilots how to perform low level attacks as an instructor in No. 13 OTU.^[5]

In May 1943 Broom joined No. 1655 MTU as an instructor.^[5] In May 1944, Broom joined No. 571 Squadron flying the De Havilland Mosquito XVI as part of the Light Night Striking Force (LNSF) where he teamed up with his navigator Flight lieutenant Tommy Broom. They were known as "The Flying Brooms"^[1] and had a pair of crossed broomsticks painted on the nose of their aircraft. They remained friends until Ivor's death in 2003.

The Mosquito was modified to carry a 4,000lb bomb known as "cookies" and carried no defensive armament. They made numerous raids over Berlin.

In September 1944 Broom was appointed Flight Commander in No. 128 Squadron, still part of the LNSF.

In January 1945 Broom was appointed as Commanding Officer of No. 163 Squadron. His navigator Tommy Broom joined him as the squadron's navigation leader.^[6] They remained together until the end of the war. For leading raids on Berlin, Ivor was awarded a Distinguished Service Order and Tommy a DFC.

After the war ended, Broom dropped rank to squadron leader to command No. 28 Squadron flying Spitfires in Singapore. In 1948 he returned home and dropped rank again, to flight lieutenant, to attend staff college. After passing out he resumed his career as a Squadron Leader and learnt to fly jets.

In 1953 he became Commanding Officer of No. 57 Squadron which had been equipped with English Electric Canberra jet bombers. He flew a specially modified Canberra from Ottawa to London via the North Pole, Broom was awarded the Air Force Cross. In 1956 Broom became responsible for the Bomber Command Development Unit at Wittering. In 1959 he moved into the Air Secretary's department followed by, in 1962 becoming station commander at RAF Bruggen in Germany. Subsequently he became in 1964 a staff officer at the Air Ministry and in 1966 was appointed Director of Organisation (Establishments).

In 1968 Broom became Commandant of Central Flying School. He remained at this post until being appointed as Air Officer Commanding (AOC) No. 11 Group. In 1972 Broom was appointed CB (Companion of the Bath)

In January 1973, Broom was appointed Deputy Controller, National Air Traffic Control and in May 1974 became Controller. This joint civilian and military organisation is responsible for control of all air movements in UK controlled airspace.

In 1975 Broom was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.

Retirement

Broom retired in July 1977 and in retirement, he had an appointment as a director of one of Gerald Carroll's Carroll Group companies.^[7]

Broom was also a great supporter of charities, these included:

• Vice-president of the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA)
• The RAF Benevolent Fund
• President of the Blenheim Society
• President of the Mosquito Aircrew Association
• The Bomber Command Association

References